Pomatoschistus pictus. ⢠Paedomorphic;. ⢠6 lateral dark spots (4);. ⢠triangular spot at the base of caudal fin (5);. ⢠2 ventral melanophores in the throat region;.
Rodrigues D.1, Afonso J.2 and Borges R.1,2 1
MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA – Instituto Universitário, R. Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal 2 Centre of Marine Sciences - CCMAR, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
Pseudaphya ferreri
• Marine goby • Native to the Mediterranean and Black sea (1) • 1-year lifespan with only one breeding period (smelparous) (2) • Paedomorphic (2) - postlarval features kept throughout their adulthood: - small size (max. 3,5cm; 3) Adaptation to a planktotrophic - scarcity of melanophores (body transparency) and pelagic life (2) - conspicuous swim bladder
Pro: precocious and rapid achievement of sexual maturity Con: increased risk of predation
Is the occurrence of P. ferreri at the Arrábida Marine Park (WPortugal) a case of tropicalization? 1
Sampling
4
spring-summer period (2011 to 2013) School of P. ferreri
Inshore (10 m isobath) vs Offshore (20 m isobath)
Sagitta of P. ferreri
Light traps over sandy bottoms
Surface vs Bottom vs intermediate (offshore)
2200 P. ferreri larvae out of 29330
49.16
Gobiidae
Pomatoschistus sp.
23.54
P. ferreri
22.79
32.91
Tripterygiidae
5.65
P. pictus
Blenniidae
5.04
unable to ID
Sparidae
4.54
Others
20.00
13.00 5.65
Gobius spp.
2.70
0.00
27.72
40.00
60.00
80.00
100.00
5.23
A. minuta
1.52
Others
0.55 0.00
20.00
40.00
60.00
80.00
100.00
%
%
2)
25.00 20.00 15.00
Surface
10.00
Bottom
5.00 0.00 2011
2012
measured and assigned to a developmental stage otolith analysis (N=5)
2
Horizontal distribution of P. ferreri Mean density (specimen/h)
G. xanthocephalus
Gobiesocidae
Vertical distribution of P. ferreri Mean density (specimen/h)
Relative abundance of Gobiidae species
Relative abundance of each Family
1)
2013
12.00 10.00 8.00
2011
6.00
2012
4.00
2013
2.00 0.00 Inshore
Offshore
Comparison of morphology and meristics between post-flexion larvae of species with similar traits
Hyperbenthic gobies
Pseudaphya ferreri • Paedomorphic; • 6 lateral dark spots (4); • triangular spot at the base of caudal fin (5); • 2 ventral melanophores in the throat region; • single row of small teeth on the lower jaw; • Fin ray counts: D1 V-VI; D2 I+7-10; A I+9-10
Cryptobenthic gobies
Crystallogobius linearis
Aphia minuta
Gobius xanthocephalus
Pomatoschistus pictus
• Paedomorphic; • scales totally absent; • long second dorsal and anal fins; • conspicuous gas bladder; • sexual dimorphism in dentition (enlarged caniniform teeth in males) and in nº of rays on first dorsal fin (II in males and complete loss in females); • usually found in offshore waters (2); • Fin ray counts: D1 0-II; D2 I + 18-20; A I + 20-21.
• Paedomorphic; • cycloid scales in trunk but naked in predorsal and the head; • single row of small teeth in the lower jaw; • conspicuous gas bladder; • 1 melanophore at each angle of the lower jaw; • Pigmentation at the base of caudal fin and along its rays, especially on the lower half (6); • Fin ray counts: D1 V (IV-VI); D2 I+12 (11-13); A I+1314(11-15)
• 3 ventral melanophores in the throat; • Caudal fin pigmentation from the middle to the lower rays; •Fin ray counts: D1 VII; D2 14-16; A I + 14
• 3 ventral melanophores in the throat; the last one long and Y shaped; • Caudal fin pigmentation starting at the ventral rays; • Pigmentation in the lower jaw (8); • Several melanophores in the head region (7); • Fin ray counts: Dl VI (V-VI); D2 I + 9 (7-10); A I + 8-9
School of A. minuta 23
G. xanthocephalus
P. pictus
This study reported the first occurrence of P. ferreri at the Arrábida Marine Park. Possible explanations are:
School of Gobiidae spp. 5
P. ferreri
1. The small size and body transparency make this species difficult to detect in underwater censuses. Even A. minuta and C. linearis, which have wider distribution ranges (9; 10) were undetected in previous studies, at the Arrábida Marine Park (AMP). These 3 paedomorphic species aggregate in large schools, a common behavior in larvae of other Gobiidae species (11; Fig.1- 3). Nevertheless, in previous ichthyoplankton surveys, P. ferreri has never been detected at AMP. Most P. ferreri specimens collected here were mainly post-flexion larvae or adults, although less developed stages were also collected. Although most individuals revealed a clear preference to the bottom, preliminary otolith analysis did not detect any evident settlement mark (Fig. 4). This agrees with the pelagic living mode of this species (3). 2. The transport of P. ferreri by rafting or ballast water in ships is not excluded as possible transport mechanisms to new geographic areas. 3. At AMP, warm-temperate species predominance has been recently noticed (12); the west coast of Portugal is, in fact, considered an important temperate biogeographic transition zone (13; Fig. 5). The progressive intrusion of P. ferreri into temperate waters could be a case of tropicalization, potentially extending the species’ northern range limits. Continued monitoring with inter annual sampling is needed to clarify the consistency of P. ferreri occurrence at AMP and the underlying mechanisms.
Temperate biogeographic transition zone
We would like to thank A. Rebelo , H. Folhas, G. Franco, F. Solomon, P. Coelho, C. Quiles, A. Lopes, A. Faria and J. Castro for their help in the field, at the Arrábida Marine Park. We also thank to E. Gonçalves and E. Serrão for providing all the necessary working conditions. Additional support was provided by the projects MATRIX (PTDC/MAR/115226/2009), REEFFISH (PTDC/MAR-EST/4356/2012) and the Pluriannual Programs (R&D Unit 331/94, PEST-OE/MAR/UI0331/2011), financed by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).
1. Kovacic M, Herler J & Williams JT (2014) Pseudaphya ferreri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T194887A49081799; 2. Miller PJ (1973) The species of Pseudaphya (Teleostei: Gobiidae) and the evolution of aphyiine gobies. J Fish Biol 5: 353–365; 3. Miller PJ (1986) Gobiidae. In: Whitehead PJP, Bauchot ML, Hureau JC, Nielsen J & Tortonese E (eds) Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, vol 3. UNESCO, Bungay, pp 1019–1085; 4. Kovačić M & Golani D (2007) First record of Papillogobius melanobranchus in the Mediterranean Sea and new data on geographic distributions, bathymetric ranges and morphology of several small benthic fishes in the Levant. Cybium 31: 417-425; 5. De Buen O & Fage L (1908) Un nouveau gobiide méditerranéen du genre Aphya (Aphya Ferreri n. sp.). Archs. Zool. exp. gén. 8: 105-110; 6. La Mesa M, Arneri E, Caputo V & Iglesias M (2005) The transparent goby, Aphia minuta: review of biology and fisheries of a paedomorphic European fish. Rev Fish Biol Fish 15: 89–109; 7. Patzner RA, Van Tassell JL, Kovacic M & Kapoor BG (2011) The biology of gobies. Enfield, NH : Science Publishers; Boca Raton, FL : DIstributed by CRC Press, 685 p; 8. Malm AW (1865) Ichthyologiska bidrag til Skandinaviens fauna. Forh. Skand. Naturf. Mote 9: 405-414; 9. La Mesa M (2001) Age and growth of Crystallogobius linearis (von Düben, 1845) (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from the Adriatic Sea. Scientia Marina 65: 375-381; 10. Tortonese B. (1975) Osteichthyes. Pesci Ossei. Edizioni Calderini, Bologna, 636 pp Parte seconda. Fauna d’ Italia XI; 11. Iglesias M & Martorell JM (1992) La pesquerıa de gobidos en las Islas Baleares. Informes tecnicos del Instituto Español de Oceanografıa 116, 1–18; 12. Horta e Costa B, Assis JF, Franco G, Erzini K, Henriques M, Gonçalves EJ & Caselle JE (2014) Tropicalization of fish assemblages in temperate biogeographic transition zones. Mar Ecol Prog Ser. 504: 241–252; 13. Henriques M, Gonçalves EJ & Almada VC (1999) The conservation of littoral fish communities: a case study at the Arrábida coast (Portugal). In: Almada VC, Oliveira R, Gonçalves EJ (eds) Behaviour and conservation of littoral fishes. ISPA, Lisbon, p 473−519
