Despite the high rate of egg mortality due to predation, few teleost fishes utilize external casings for protecting their eggs. The gelatinous egg matrix, or skein, produced by Yellow Perch Perca flavescens may provide a variety of benefits including deterring egg predators. This study explored the chemical components of the skein in addition to testing the preferences of two common egg predators, Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus and calico crayfish Orconectes immunis, when presented with three potential egg prey: Yellow Perch eggs in the skein, Yellow Perch eggs without the skein, and Fathead Minnow Pimephales promelas eggs. Preliminary analyses showed that the skein may contain a variety of potentially noxious components, including piperideine and the galactose-specific lectin, nattectin. In preference trials, Yellow Perch eggs in the skein were often approached first; however, both predators preferred Yellow Perch eggs with the skein removed and Fathead Minnow eggs rather than Yellow Perch eggs in the skein. Further experiments demonstrated that crayfish spent less time attempting to consume Yellow Perch eggs in the skein after prior exposure to the skein (day 1: 11.0 min ± 1.3 [mean ± SE]; day 2: 7.6 min ± 1.4), reducing time spent damaging the eggs. These results indicate that the skein may help protect eggs from predation.
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