Connecting the Spots: Life History and Ecology of the Spotted Gar Lepisosteus Oculatus from an Oklahoma Reservoir

The Spotted Gar Lepisosteus oculatus is a large-bodied piscivore and is critically imperiled in parts of the northern extent of its range. Despite its conservation status this species remains understudied, and research which expands our understanding of its basic biology is warranted. Here, we report on research conducted on Spotted Gar during the summer of 2014 in central Oklahoma. We collected Spotted Gar from the Lake Thunderbird reservoir, and provide age and morphometric measurements for adults of both sexes. Furthermore, we provide new observations of Spotted Gar spawning in both the Lake Thunderbird reservoir and in research ponds which closely resembled the natural habitat. These observations emphasize the importance of spawning habitat, specifically submerged riparian vegetation, to the Spotted Gar's life history.  We present pilot data from a study examining the effects of turbidity on the growth of young-of-year Spotted Gar. Growth in TL was higher in the control than in the turbid treatments initially (13mm vs 7.5mm, respectively) but was not significant (Welch's t, P = 0.051). We attribute this to low statistical power resulting from high juvenile mortality during the experiment. Finally, we will discuss future directions of research with the Spotted Gar.