Gerardo Marrón, Mexiko
Info
The grunion, Leuresthes sardina, is one of two species of fish in the genus Leuresthes.Silversides are not animals for an aquarium, but they are very interesting and important members of the marine food chain for two reasons.These fish are found in large quantities on the west coast of the USA and serve as nutritious food for many other animals, including seabirds, dolphins, marine mammals and young great white sharks that live on the California coast.
The spawning and fertilization of the eggs is particularly interesting: the atherinids “storm” the sandy beaches in huge numbers in a natural phenomenon known as the “grunion run”.
Thousands and thousands of fish are washed up on the beach by the waves and burrow into the wet sand up to their pectoral fins, where they lay between 3,000 and 4,000 eggs at a time. Immediately after oviposition, the males come and surround the females to fertilize the eggs.After about two weeks, the fish larvae hatch from the eggs and are carried out to sea by the waves.
On oviposition evenings, the beaches are literally covered with silver-colored, writhing fish larvae.
Oviposition can be observed particularly well in these videos:
Synonyms:
Atherina sardina (Jenkins & Evermann, 1889)
Leuresthes clara (Evermann & Jenkins, 1891)
Menidia clara (Evermann & Jenkins, 1891)
The spawning and fertilization of the eggs is particularly interesting: the atherinids “storm” the sandy beaches in huge numbers in a natural phenomenon known as the “grunion run”.
Thousands and thousands of fish are washed up on the beach by the waves and burrow into the wet sand up to their pectoral fins, where they lay between 3,000 and 4,000 eggs at a time. Immediately after oviposition, the males come and surround the females to fertilize the eggs.After about two weeks, the fish larvae hatch from the eggs and are carried out to sea by the waves.
On oviposition evenings, the beaches are literally covered with silver-colored, writhing fish larvae.
Oviposition can be observed particularly well in these videos:
Synonyms:
Atherina sardina (Jenkins & Evermann, 1889)
Leuresthes clara (Evermann & Jenkins, 1891)
Menidia clara (Evermann & Jenkins, 1891)
