Observations on the reproductive biology of female Hypostomus luetkeni Lacèpéde 1803

— Seasonal observations in the gonadosomatic index and development stages of female ovaries showed that Hypostomus luetkeni has an extended spawning period lasting from September to February. Histological examinations and analysis of oocyte size distributions indicated a fractional spawning. Fecundity was determined in ripe ovaries and indicated that H. luetkeni, as most other Loricariidae, spawn a small number (446-936 eggs-ind−1) of large eggs (5.2 mm).