although ripe individuals occurred slightly deeper; around 2–3 m above the seabed in groups of three or four, with one silver female being chased by several black males.[48] Eventually, a pair would sink down to a sandy bottom, where eggs and sperm were released. The fish then diverged and swam away. Each individual appears to spawn more than once in each period, with only part of the gonads ripe in spawners. Fecundity is not known, although females are known to release several thousand eggs on capture during the spawning process. Eggs are described as pelagic and transparent in nature.[48]