Some features of the territories in the breeding males of the intertidal blenny Lipophrys pholis (Pisces, Blenniidae)

Abstract

At Arrabida, Portugal, territories of the breeding males are temporary, being established each breeding season. The guarding males stay in the nest holes with the egg masses while the tide is low and are subjected to several hours of emersion in each tidal cycle. Even when the nests are submerged the fishes stay inside the nest for an average of 92% of the time. All activities performed outside the nest correspond to an average of 27 minutes per day. There was a low frequency of territorial intrusions. Conspecific intruders released a significantly higher frequency of agonistic responses than did Coryphoblennius galerita. Removal experiments showed that vacated territories are not occupied by other males during the same breeding season. Without the presence of the guarding males the eggs are slowly destroyed by predation and infection, but some eggs can still survive and hatch up to five days after the removal of the parental male.