Breeding, growth, and aestivation of the canterbury mudfish, Neochanna burrowsius (salmoniformes: Galaxiidae)

Abstract

Neochanna burrowsius (Phillipps) breeds in late winter and spring. Eggs are widely scattered, and adhere to leaves, stems, and suspended roots of aquatic and bankside vegetation in the sluggish or still waters of the adult habitat. Fish were successfully bred in ponds and tanks; hatching time for eggs varied greatly under different conditions of light and temperature. Fry are free swimming until they adopt the nocturnal, cryptic habits of adults when 30–50 mm long. Growth in the first year is rapid, sexual maturity being reached at 1 year old; subsequent growth is slow. Aestivation occurred successfully in shaded vegetable detritus or gravel. Holes were sometimes used, but fish did not make their own burrows for aestivation. When dissolved oxygen was low, captive fish left the water if able to do so without leaving. © 1979 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.