In this study researchers present data on the courtship and spawning of ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐, the rainbow belly pipefish or deocata pipefish. This species is highly sought after in the hobby due to its attractive colouration and uniqueness. However, it faces threats from habitat destruction and overfishing for the ornamental fish trade.
Open-access โ https://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/article/view/8684
โOverexploitation and habitat destruction have resulted in a significant loss of wild stocks. Acquiring an understanding of courtship behaviour will improve our knowledge of their reproductive ecologies, and how to protect them in nature, but it can also enable captive propagation, thereby reducing pressure on wild stocks.โ
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Observations on the courtship behaviour of Deocata Pipefish ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ (Hamilton, 1822) (Actinopterygii: Syngnathiformes: Syngnathidae) in an aquarium
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Anu Saikia, Jayanta Kumar Nath, Dandadhar Sarma. Observations on the courtship behaviour of Deocata Pipefish ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ (Hamilton, 1822) (Actinopterygii: Syngnathiformes: Syngnathidae) in an aquarium. Journal of Threatened Taxa, Vol. 16 No. 1 (2024). DOI: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8684.16.1.24529-24534
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The Deocata Pipefish ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ is the sole freshwater syngnathid found in the Himalayan range. This species is categorised as โNear Threatenedโ by the IUCN Red List and is also listed as a Schedule I species under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. This species is highly sought after in the ornamental fish trade due to its attractive colouration and uniqueness.
The courtship behaviour of ๐. ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ consists of three distinct phases (initial courtship, spawning, and swaying) characterized by substantial behavioural alterations. ๐. ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ is a species where the action of females is more visible for commencing courting and strengthening at later phases. The females exhibit skin fold ornamentation to signal their readiness to spawn mature eggs. The first courtship phase is characterised by female quivering along with head pointing by both sexes and often tail entangling. As a sign of embracing the male often overlies upon the female.
In the second phase, the female transfers her eggs onto the male incubating ventral surface with an upside-down body posture. During the final phase, the male forms his body into a contracting wave and lastly settles down in the bottom of the tank.
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Left โ Zierfisch.Maister
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Right โ Schematic representation of ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ courtship and spawning sequences: a, b, cโInitial courtship | dโSpawning | eโSwaying. ยฉ Jayanta Kumar Nath & Anu Saikia.
Copyright ยฉ 2024 Saikia et al. Published in Journal of Threatened Taxa journal. This paper is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
