<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Morphological, ecological and molecular data sets do not completely agree on the phylogenetic placement of the softmouth trout, <italic>Salmo (Salmothymus) obtusirostris</italic> (Heckel). Molecules posit that softmouths are closely related to brown trout, <italic>Salmo trutta</italic> L. while some morphological, ecological and life history traits place them in the most basal position of the Salmoninae subfamily between grayling <italic>(Thymallus)</italic> and lenok <italic>(Brachymystax).</italic> Here we add an additional source of data, behavioural characters based on the first reported observations of softmouth spawning. During spawning softmouth females present three important behaviours not found in the other <italic>Salmo</italic> members: they continually abandon their nests, rarely staying on them for periods over nine minutes; they expel different batches of eggs at the same nest at intervals of several minutes; and they do not cover their eggs immediately after spawning. These three behaviours are intriguing for two reasons: 1) they are possible homologous to behaviours found in grayling females; 2) when coupled to the nest digging behaviour-widespread in all the salmonines, including softmouths, they seem to be mal-adaptive.</p></abstract>

Morphological, ecological and molecular data sets do not completely agree on the phylogenetic placement of the softmouth trout, Salmo (Salmothymus) obtusirostris (Heckel). Molecules posit that softmouths are closely related to brown trout, Salmo trutta L. while some morphological, ecological and life history traits place them in the most basal position of the Salmoninae subfamily between grayling (Thymallus) and lenok (Brachymystax). Here we add an additional source of data, behavioural characters based on the first reported observations of softmouth spawning. During spawning softmouth females present three important behaviours not found in the other Salmo members: they continually abandon their nests, rarely staying on them for periods over nine minutes; they expel different batches of eggs at the same nest at intervals of several minutes; and they do not cover their eggs immediately after spawning. These three behaviours are intriguing for two reasons: 1) they are possible homologous to behaviours found in grayling females; 2) when coupled to the nest digging behaviour-widespread in all the salmonines, including softmouths, they seem to be mal-adaptive.

Spawning Behaviour and the Softmouth Trout Dilemma

Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Jose Gutierrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks St, Toronto, M5S 3G5 ON, Canada

Trout Unlimited, 720 Tahoe St STE 1, Reno NV 89509, USA

University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Animal Science, Groblje 3,1230 Domžale, Slovenia

Fisheries & Aquatic Life

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Spawning Behaviour and the Softmouth Trout Dilemma"}

Morphological, ecological and molecular data sets do not completely agree on the phylogenetic placement of the softmouth trout, Salmo (Salmothymus)...

Spawning Behaviour and the Softmouth Trout Dilemma

Article Category: Research Paper

Published Online: Jul 15, 2014

Page range: 159 - 165

Received: Nov 05, 2013

Accepted: Feb 26, 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/aopf-2014-0016

Keywords
phylogeny, spawning behavior, underwater video

© 2014 Archives of Polish Fisheries

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Spawning Behaviour and the Softmouth Trout Dilemma

Article Category: Research Paper

Published Online: Jul 15, 2014

Page range: 159 - 165

Received: Nov 05, 2013

Accepted: Feb 26, 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/aopf-2014-0016

Keywordsphylogeny, spawning behavior, underwater video

© 2014 Archives of Polish Fisheries

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
phylogeny, spawning behavior, underwater video