Ninespine Stickleback
Pungitius pungitius
Status
Native to Newfoundland and Labrador.
Habitat
Usually found in shallow vegetated areas of lakes
,ponds, and pools of sluggish streams. Marine populations live near shore and
move into freshwater to spawn. The ninespine can be found in all provinces and territories
of Canada.
Range
The ninespine can be found in all provinces and
territories of Canada.
Food
The sticklebacks eat worms, small drowned insects, fish eggs, crustaceans,
and larvae.
Appearance
Nine short dorsal spines angled alternately to
left and right. Gray to olive above with dark mottling on the sides and silver
below.
Breeding Biology
It spawns in fresh water and will spawn more than
once in a season. The male is black in colour and is less aggressive than the
females. Males will build their nests in weedy patches, off the bottom in the
plants, using fragments of aquatic vegetation bound together by kidney
secretions. The nest is tunnel shaped and has an opening at each end. The male
uses a courtship dance to entice females to his nest. The females will lay 20 to
30 eggs and then be chased away by the male when she exits the nest. The nest is
guarded by the male who will spend considerable time fanning the openings of the
nest with his fins. As many as seven females will be encouraged to deposit their
eggs in the same nest.
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