What are the ways in which rice field eels reproduce and produce fry?

What is the male-to-female ratio of rice field eels during reproduction?

During the breeding season of rice field eels, the male-to-female ratio is roughly as follows: when the body weight of the male eel is greater than that of the female eel, it is one male to multiple females; generally 1 male to 2 females or 3 females; when the body weights of the male and female eels are similar, it is 1 male to 1 female; when the body weight of the male eel is less than that of the female eel, it is one female to multiple males.

How do rice field eels reproduce and produce fry?

Every year, when the breeding season arrives, parent eels with mature gonadal development often spit out foam as a nest near rubble, caves, weed piles or aquatic plants, and then the female eel lays eggs in it. At the same time, the male eel releases sperm to fertilize them, and the fertilized eggs hatch at the water surface with the help of the buoyancy of the foam. When the water temperature is 20-28°C, the eel fry break out of the membrane in about 7 days.

After the female eel finishes laying eggs, it leaves the nest, while the male eel or the facultatively male-biased rice field eel has the habit of guarding the eggs. It must guard them until the rice field eel fry hatch and until their yolk sacs disappear and they are able to forage freely.