Reproductive cycles of two Australian freshwater fishes: the spangled perch, Therapon unicolor Gunther, 1859 and the East Queensland rainbowfish, Nematocentris splendida Peters, 1866

The reproductive cycles of the spangled perch Therapon unicolor Gunther, 1859 and the East Queensland rainbowfish Nematocentris splendida Peters, 1866 are described in terms of maturity stages, sex‐ratio, gonosomatic indices, oocyte diameters, fecundity and rearing experiments. T. unicolor has a well‐defined reproductive cycle with gonad development stimulated by rising temperatures and increasing daylength; with spawning induced by the ‘wet’, possibly by rising water levels and increasing turbidities. In contrast, N. splendida has a protracted spawning period with a peak of spawning activity in pre‐flood and flood periods, although individuals in spawning condition and juveniles may be found throughout the year.