Goodyear, C.D. and Edsall, T.A. and Ormsky Depsey, D. M. and Moss, G.D. and Polanski, P.E. (1982) Atlas of the spawning and nursery areas of great lakes fishes.
Office of Biological services
Fish and Wildlife Service
US Department of the Interior
Species | Development state | Trait | Primary Data | Secondary Data |
Carassius auratus | Egg | Egg adhesiveness | Eggs adhere to substrate, usually vegetation at spawning site | Adhesive |
Carassius auratus | Egg | Incubation time | Eggs hatch in 2-1/2 to 7 days at 82-60°F | 1.5 days |
Carassius auratus | Spawning conditions | Spawning migration distance | Move inshore short distances into littoral areas or tributaries beginning at about 45°F | 45.0 km |
Carassius auratus | Spawning conditions | Spawning migration period | Move inshore short distances into littoral areas or tributaries beginning at about 45°F | No data |
Carassius auratus | Spawning conditions | Spawning season | Mid-April to Mid-August, usually May-June | ['April', 'May', 'June', 'July', 'August'] |
Carassius auratus | Spawning conditions | Spawning temperature | Beginning at about 55°F; spawning may continue throughout the summer if water temperature remains above 60°F | 55.0 °C |
Carassius auratus | Spawning conditions | Spawning water type | Current-free areas in lower reaches of rivers, bays, harbors, lagoons, marshes, and flooded lowlands | Flowing or turbulent water |
Carassius auratus | Spawning conditions | Spawning depth | 2-12 feet | 7.0 m |
Carassius auratus | Spawning conditions | Spawning substrate | Eggs are scattered over thick vegetation and mud, sand, clay, or gravel; also deposited on undersides of boats and harbor pilings | Lithophils |
Cyprinus carpio | Egg | Egg adhesiveness | Adhesive eggs incubate on firm susbtrate including plants, dead grass, tree roots, stones, and Cladophora fronds (thalli) | Adhesive |
Cyprinus carpio | Egg | Incubation time | Eggs hatch in 1-3 weeks | 2.0 days |
Cyprinus carpio | Larvae | Larvae behaviour | Prolarvae settle to bottom immediatly after hatching and attach to plants or other objects; fry tend to leave spawning areas about 2 weeks after hatching but remain along shore among vegetation through summer | Demersal |
Cyprinus carpio | Spawning conditions | Spawning migration distance | Move from littoral waters into marshes beginning in April or early May at about 45°F; also ascend tributaries, usually only short distances, but sometimes as far as 10-15 mi | 12.5 km |
Cyprinus carpio | Spawning conditions | Spawning season | May-August at 52-90°F; peak spawning occurs in late Mat-early June at 65-73°F; spawning may extend throughout summer subject to interruption by cool weather | ['May', 'June', 'July', 'August', 'September'] |
Cyprinus carpio | Spawning conditions | Spawning water type | Protected areas of lakes and rivers, including bays, harbors, marshes, sloughs, flooded shorelines, and river mouths; also on shoals and reefs | Stagnant water |
Cyprinus carpio | Spawning conditions | Spawning depth | To 20 Ft, but usually less than 3 feet, and often 3 inches-1 feet | 20.0 m |
Cyprinus carpio | Spawning conditions | Spawning substrate | Eggs are broadcast at random near the surface over mud, muck, silt, sand, matted roots or dead grass, and abundant emergent, submergent, and floating vegetation; also over gravel, rock and rubble | Lithophils |
Cyprinus carpio | Spawning conditions | Parity | Disperse after spawning but remain in shallows throughout the summer; | No category |
Esox masquinongy | Egg | Egg adhesiveness | Eggs incubate on vegetation and debris at spawning site | Non-Adhesive |
Esox masquinongy | Egg | Incubation time | 8-15 days at 50-62°F | 11.5 days |
Esox masquinongy | Larvae | Larvae behaviour | Prolarvae remain among vegetation for about 10 days | Demersal |
Esox masquinongy | Spawning conditions | Spawning migration period | Make estensive migrations into tributaries, often to the headwaters, or to lake shallows, when the water temperature rises to 42°F, following ice breakup | No data |
Esox masquinongy | Spawning conditions | Spawning season | Late March-June, but usually May and June | ['March', 'May', 'June'] |
Esox masquinongy | Spawning conditions | Spawning temperature | At 46-65°F, 8-18°C | 55.5 °C |
Esox masquinongy | Spawning conditions | Spawning water type | Protected bays, harbors, marshes, stream mouths, feeder streams, and flooded lowlands; also in current-swept areas at edges of channels | Flowing or turbulent water |
Esox masquinongy | Spawning conditions | Spawning depth | 6 inches 15 feet, usually less than 3 feet | 6.0 m |
Esox masquinongy | Spawning conditions | Spawning substrate | Over mud, muck, clay, or sand with decayed vegetation and woody debris, including brush, logs and stumps | Psammophils |
Esox masquinongy | Spawning conditions | Spawning site preparation | Eggs are scattered | Open water/substratum scatter |
Esox masquinongy | Spawning conditions | Parity | Males return to lake when water temperatures reaches about 60°F; females remain in river channels several weeks and return to lake in mid-August | Iteroparous |
Esox lucius | Egg | Egg adhesiveness | Eggs adhere to vegetation or debris at spawning site | Adhesive |
Esox lucius | Egg | Incubation time | Eggs hatch in 1-3-1/2 weeks, usually in 10-18 days at 52-42°F | 2.0 days |
Esox lucius | Larvae | Larvae behaviour | Prolarvae remain in attached to vegetation at spawning site for 5-10 days | Demersal |
Esox lucius | Spawning conditions | Spawning migration period | Migrate from deeper water to littoral areas or into tributaries at time of ice breakup, beginning at about 33-40°F; may begin to congregate at river mouths in late February before ice breakup | ['February'] |
Esox lucius | Spawning conditions | Spawning season | Usually late March-late April at 40-50°F | ['March', 'April'] |
Esox lucius | Spawning conditions | Spawning period duration | A period of 10-24 days | 17.0 weeks |
Esox lucius | Spawning conditions | Spawning temperature | Usually late March-late April at 40-50°F | 45.0 °C |
Esox lucius | Spawning conditions | Spawning water type | Areas with sluggish water current, including shore line weeds beds and marshes, sloughs, bays and harbors, river mouths, ditches, feeder streams, and temporarily flooded lowlands | Stagnant water |
Esox lucius | Spawning conditions | Spawning depth | To 24 feet, but usually less than 6 feet and often less than 2 feet | 24.0 m |
Esox lucius | Spawning conditions | Spawning substrate | Eggsare scattered over soft bottom, with abundant emergent and submergent vegetation; may also spawn over gravel and rock | Lithophils |
Esox lucius | Spawning conditions | Spawning site preparation | Eggs are scattered | Open water/substratum scatter |
Esox lucius | Spawning conditions | Parity | Return to lake after spawning | Iteroparous |
Ambloplites rupestris | Egg | Egg Buoyancy | Incubate on rootlets or venegation in nest | No category |
Ambloplites rupestris | Egg | Egg adhesiveness | Adhesive eggs incubate on rootlets or venegation in nest | Adhesive |
Ambloplites rupestris | Egg | Incubation time | 3-4 days at 69-70°F or 10-12 days at 60°F | 3.5 days |
Ambloplites rupestris | Egg | Degree-days for incubation | 3-4 days at 69-70°F or 10-12 days at 60°F | 3.5 °C * day |
Ambloplites rupestris | Larvae | Larvae behaviour | Prolarvae remain in nest 2-3 days | Demersal |
Ambloplites rupestris | Spawning conditions | Spawning migration distance | Often move many males along shore to rech bays and creek mouths; stream residents congregate in pools just before spawning | No data |
Ambloplites rupestris | Spawning conditions | Spawning migration period | Move inshore beginning at 55°F | No data |
Ambloplites rupestris | Spawning conditions | Spawning season | April-early August, usually late May-June | ['April', 'May', 'June', 'August'] |
Ambloplites rupestris | Spawning conditions | Spawning temperature | At 57-75°F, i.e., 14-24°C | 66.0 °C |
Ambloplites rupestris | Spawning conditions | Spawning water type | Sheltered nearshore areas, including bays, harbors, lagoons, marshes, creek mouths, and lower reaches of tributaries; current-swept lake shoals and ledges; moderateswift water in streams; | Stagnant water |
Ambloplites rupestris | Spawning conditions | Spawning depth | To 20 feet, usually less than 6 feet | 20.0 m |
Ambloplites rupestris | Spawning conditions | Spawning substrate | Gravel, rock, sand, clay, marl or vegetation to expose fibrous plant roolets | Lithophils |
Ambloplites rupestris | Spawning conditions | Spawning site preparation | Eggs are deposited in shallow depression excavated | Susbtrate chooser |
Ambloplites rupestris | Spawning conditions | Parity | Lake residents than return to lake | Iteroparous |
Ambloplites rupestris | Spawning conditions | Parental care | Male guards nest and newly hatched fry | Male parental care |
Micropterus dolomieui | Egg | Egg adhesiveness | Eggs adhere to stones, short stems, or roots on bottom of nest | Adhesive |
Micropterus dolomieui | Egg | Incubation time | Eggs hatch in 2-15 days at 70-55°F | 8.5 days |
Micropterus dolomieui | Egg | Temperature for incubation | 55-70°F | 62.5 °C |
Micropterus dolomieui | Larvae | Larvae behaviour | Fry gradually disperse from nest when 1-2 weeks old and are then found along edges of vegetation beds | Demersal |
Micropterus dolomieui | Spawning conditions | Spawning migration period | Migrate inshore and enter bays and tributaries; movement begins when water temperature rises above 40°F; peak movement occurs at 55°F | No data |
Micropterus dolomieui | Spawning conditions | Spawning season | A period of 6-10 days in March to mid-August, usually May-July | ['March', 'April', 'May', 'June', 'July', 'August'] |
Micropterus dolomieui |