Bluegill (<i>Lepomis macrochirus</i>) Spawning Periodicity and Hatching Duration in the Northern Great Plains, USA

Abstract

ABSTRACT We described spawning periodicity, hatching duration, and peak larval densities for bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) in five lakes of the northern Great Plains in Nebraska and South Dakota, USA from 2004 to 2007. Hatching generally began in early June, and duration ranged from 28 to 77 days. Peak larval density was highly variable among lakes and years and was primarily unimodal, with peaks occumng from late June to late July. Peak larval density ranged from 2 to 1,760 larvae/100 m3. Multimodal peaks in abundance occurred in four instances. Although multiple peaks in larval abundance within years were noted at southern latitudes, there were also many instances of a single peak. Larval density and spawning duration were generally lower than other reported studies of bluegill from southern latitudes although geographic location alone did not consistently explain these patterns