| Main Ref. | Whitehead, P.J.P., 1985 |
| Mode | dioecism |
| Fertilization | external |
| Mating type | |
| Spawning frequency | Two seasonal peaks per year |
| Batch spawner | Yes. Ref. Kailola, P.J., M.J. Williams, P.C. Stewart, R.E. Reichelt, A. McNee and C. Grieve, 1993 |
| Reproductive guild |
nonguarders open water/substratum egg scatterers |
| Parental Care | |
| Description of life cycle and mating behavior | Oviparous (Ref. 265). In the Gulf of California, some individuals spawn in their first year, but most in their second (Ref. 188). In Australia (as S. neopilchardus), this species breeds in spring and summer in southern part of range, and in summer and autumn in northern part, apparently related to seasonal movement of the limiting 14°C and 21°C isotherms, then autumn to early spring (Ref. 6390). It was believed that individual Australian pilchards only spawn once or twice in a season (Ref. 26422, 26424), but research on related species suggests that they may spawn a number of times (Ref. 6882). Batch fecundities range from about 10,000 eggs in 13 cm long females to about 45,000 eggs in females of about 18 cm (Ref. 26420). |
| Search for more references on reproduction | Scirus |