Just in time for the Flag Day/Father’s Day weekend, the Jordanella floridae we raise here at susquehannawildlife.net headquarters to help control hair algae in our planted aquaria are beginning to spawn.
A male Jordanella floridae displaying for a prospective female mate. A receptive female will nip the fins of a courting male prompting him to chase her.
In the wild, Jordanella floridae inhabits a variety of vegetated tropical wetlands and backwaters on the Florida peninsula. The species was first described there on Lake Munroe in 1879 by George Brown Goode and Tarleton Hoffman Bean, both of whom spent time working for the Smithsonian National Museum and the United States Fish Commission, the latter a forerunner of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Goode and Bean collaborated frequently, chronicling the occurrence of freshwater species like J. floridae as well as marine ichthyofauna. In 1896, the duo published Oceanic Ichthyology, an extensive study of pelagic and deep-sea fishes. Each experienced a prestigious career and has had numerous fish species named after him.
Nineteenth-century ichthyologist Tarleton Hoffman Bean (1846-1916) was born along the shores of the Susquehanna below Conewago Falls in Bainbridge, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He became a renowned expert on methods of fish culture. (Public Domain image)To the female, the breeding colors of the dominant male Jordanella floridae are irresistible. To us, the star-spangled banner pattern of this native killifish (more specifically a pupfish) justifies the species’ oft-used common name: American Flagfish.After being chased by the male, the female American Flagfish turns pale in color, indicating to the male that she’s ready to mate. The pair then face each other and begin dancing around the nest site which has been prepared by the male. The dance often consists of the female maneuvering so as not to again face in the direction of her partner..To get into spawning position alongside his mate, the male flagfish must commence a series of rolling turns.Once the male is successful and the female is receptive, spawning quickly ensues and the pair swims sideways in a tight circle around the center of the nest site……as the eggs are deposited and fertilized.Female American Flagfish lay fewer than two dozens eggs, so the male must diligently guard the nest from potential outside threats to his progeny including snails, dragonfly nymphs, and other fishes. Periodically, he’ll use his fins to fan a current across the eggs to clear them of debris and assure an exchange of fresh water through the nest.For the male American Flagfish, obsessive patrol of the nest site and care of the eggs continues day and night. The American Flagfish, a dandy that dresses for his role as an All-American Dad.
