Spawning Within Floating Vegetation: Novel Underwater Observations of Egg Deposition in Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus)

William H. Hawthorne^1,*, Kenneth J. Sulak¹, and Stephen J. Walsh^1,2

¹Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute, 18645 High Springs Main Street, High Springs, FL 32643. ²Florida Museum of Natural History, 3215 Hull Road, Gainesville, FL 32611. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 23, Issue 4 (2024): 414–424

First published early online: 4 December 2024

Abstract
Reproductive strategies play a crucial role in the survival and persistence of fish populations. Spawning plasticity allows animals to respond to a variety of environmental conditions and thus maximize their differential reproductive success. Here, we report novel observations of spawning behavior by Lepisosteus osseus (Longnose Gar). On 18–19 February 2023, we observed Longnose Gar spawning in a floating vegetation mat within the run of the first-magnitude Ichetucknee Springs complex in north Florida. This novel behavior highlights a previously unpublished spawning mode in this species. Longnose Gar may spawn in floating vegetation mats to afford protection of offspring from predators, provide suitable substrate and ideal spawning habitat for egg adhesion and development, and confer favorable environmental conditions such as the ability to retain heat.

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