Effects of wave action on nesting activity in the littoral five-spotted wrasse, Symphodus roissali, (Labridae), in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

The nesting activity of the littoral five-spotted wrasse, Symphodus roissali, was investigated near Blanes (northwestern Mediterranean Sea). Males construct and defend several nests over the entire reproductive period while females spawn asynchronously in these nests. Nesting activity continued from around the end of March to the end of June in the case of the study population. Nesting intensity, nesting success and nest destruction varied between years and sites. Differences between the numbers of nests that survive the nesting cycle and those that are destroyed can be related to environmental conditions, primarily wave height. Sufficiently protracted periods (> 1 week) of favourable sea conditions allow nests to survive and complete their cycle.