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Amazon sailfin catfish, Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Castelnau, 1855) (Loricariidae), another exotic species established... Article in The Southwestern Naturalist · January 2009 DOI: 10.1894/0038-4909(2007)52[141:ASCPPC]2.0.CO;2
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AMAZON SAILFIN CATFISH, PTERYGOPLICHTHYS PARDALIS (CASTELNAU, 1855) (LORICARIIDAE), ANOTHER EXOTIC SPECIES ESTABLISHED IN SOUTHEASTERN MEXICO ARMANDO T. WAKIDA-KUSUNOKI,* RAMON RUIZ-CARUS,
AND
ENRIQUE AMADOR-DEL-ANGEL
Instituto Nacional de la Pesca, Centro Regional de Investigacio´n Pesquera. Ave. He´roes del 21 de Abril s/n, Col. Playa Norte, C.P. 24120, Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, Me´xico (ATW-K) Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, 100 Eighth Avenue SE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5020 (RR-C) Universidad Auto´noma del Carmen, Facultad de Ciencias Pesqueras. Ave. Concordia esq. Ave. 56 No. 4, C.P. 24180, Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, Me´xico (EA-A) *Correspondent:
[email protected] ABSTRACT—The exotic suckermouth armored catfishes are known to be established in Mexico. Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus is established in Campeche, Chiapas, and localities in central and western Mexico. We report the first record of another suckermouth armored catfish established in southeastern Mexico. We captured 7 specimens of Pterygoplichthys pardalis in a freshwater pond near Frontera, Tabasco, on 8 January 2005. Additional records in this region indicated that P. pardalis was spreading in the upper Grijalva-Usumacinta River basin. Further sampling and monitoring is required to assess the ecological impacts of this exotic species on the native fauna. RESUMEN—Se sabe que los plecostomas exo´ticos se encuentran establecidos en Me´xico. Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus esta´ establecido en Campeche, Chiapas y otras localidades del centro y oeste de Me´xico. Reportamos el primer registro de otro plecostoma establecido en el sureste de Me´xico. Siete ejemplares de Pterygoplichthys pardalis fueron capturados en una poza de agua dulce cerca de Frontera, Tabasco, el 8 de enero, 2005. Reportes adicionales en esta regio´n indican que P. pardalis se ha extendido en la cuenca superior del Grijalva-Usumacinta. Se necesitan muestreo y monitoreo adicional para estimar los impactos ecolo´gicos de esta especie exo´tica en la fauna nativa.
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The suckermouth armored catfishes (Siluriformes; Loricariidae) occur in Panama and South America. They inhabit swift-flowing streams from lowlands up to 3,000 m elevation. (Nelson, 1994). Members of the genus Pterygoplichthys, or Liposarcus sensu lato, occur in the Orinoco and Amazon river basins (Weber, 1992). Suckermouth armored catfishes have been popular aquarium fishes for more than 55 y. This condition has facilitated the introduction and subsequent establishment of several species in extraneous ecosystems. For example, P. multiradiatus was established in Hawaii (Welcomme, 1988; Yamamoto and Tagawa, 2000), Puerto Rico (Bunkley-Williams et al., 1994), Texas (Hoover et al., 2004), and Florida (Courtenay et al., 1984; Ludlow and Walsh, 1991; Shafland, 1996). In Mexico, P. multiradiatus was established in the Balsas and Mezcala rivers in the state of Michoacan (CONABIO, 2004), Amucuzac River, Morelos (Trujillo-Jimenez, 2003), and Catazaja´ and Medellı´n lagoons, Chiapas (Ramirez-Soberon et al., 2004, unpubl. abstract, Resumenes del IX Congreso Nacional de Ictiologı´a, Septiembre 13-16, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Me´xico). The sources of these introductions into Mexican locales are unknown. In response to reports of strange fishes damaging fishing gear in the vicinity of Frontera, Tabasco, we surveyed that locality on 8 January 2005. We used a 3-m cast-net with an 89-mm mesh size. We captured 7 suckermouth armored catfishes in a freshwater pond connected to the Grijalva River, Tabasco (Fig. 1). The shoreline vegetation of the pond was primarily common cattail, Typha latifolia, with few overhanging trees bordering an area of urban development. Aquatic vegetation consisted of water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes, covering the surface of the pond, and coontail, Ceratophyllum demersum, along the shore. The substrate was mud, and water surface temperature was 21uC. The fish measured 276 to 375 mm in total length; total weights were 173 to 458 g. Three specimens were males, but we were unable to determine the sex of the other individuals. The fishes were deposited in the Ichthyology Collection of ECOSUR in Chetumal, Quintana Roo and San Cristobal, Chiapas. The catalog numbers are ECOCH 5473 and ECO-SC 4298, respectively. The criteria for identification followed Weber (1992), Page (1994), Ruiz-Carus and Grier (2003, 2004), and Armbruster (2004).
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FIG . 1—Map of Tabasco, Mexico, showing the Grijalva River. The large arrow indicates the site (18u31926.360N, 92u38904.030W) where Amazon sailfin catfish (Pterygoplichthys pardalis) was caught.
The loricariid catfish caught in Tabasco had pigmentation with a geometric pattern on the head and leopard-like, dark spots of variable size on the venter (Fig. 2). Supraoccipital process was not elevated, and orbits did not protrude above the top of head. Posterior edge of supraoccipital process was delimited by 3 scutes, and there were 2 scutes between the temporal and second predorsal scute. The number of scutes along the lateral line was 29 to 30. Dorsal fin had one spine and 11 branched rays; pectoral fin had one spine and 6 branched rays; pelvic fin had one spine and 5 branched rays (Fig. 2). We identified the suckermouth armored catfish caught in Tabasco as P. pardalis, the Amazon sailfin catfish or plecostoma leopardo. Lower current velocity, fewer predators, tolerance to oxygen-poor waters, occasional migration over land, and greater feeding opportunities in smaller streams have all been proposed as reasons for armored catfishes switching habitats during different life stages (Mazzoni and Caramaschi, 1995). Because it has evolved external bony plates forming flexible armor, and potential indigenous predators have little or no experience with this species, predation pressure on young P. pardalis might be less intense than in its native range. Thus, habitat adaptations, such as water velocity or food supply, might play more important roles in shaping the distribution of this species at different life stages after having acclimatized to the Grijalva-Usumacinta River basin. If the population of P. pardalis in Tabasco
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FIG. 2—a) Lateral view of Amazon sailfin catfish (Pterygoplichthys pardalis); dorsal fin has one spine and 11 branched rays. b) Dorsal view of head showing pigmentation with geometric pattern. c) Ventral view showing light background and individually variable dark-spots offering a general aspect of a leopard.
expands, it would potentially have negative impacts on those endemic species with bottomattached eggs or with benthic algae or detritus feeding habits (Liang et al., 2005). Following our survey of Frontera, Tabasco, government fisheries personnel and fishermen reported the presence of fishes similar to P. pardalis in several ponds and lagoons near Teapa, Villahermosa and Macuspana, Tabasco (IMAC, 2005). This information suggests that P. pardalis is spreading in the upper Grijalva-Usumacinta River basin. Pterygoplichthys pardalis was established in North Carolina (Nelson et al., 2004), Florida (Ruiz-Carus and Grier, 2003), and Singapore (Tan and Tan, 2003). The ecological effects of P.
pardalis in these localities are still unknown. In contrast, the documented ecological effects of P. multiradiatus include disruption of aquatic food chain, decline in abundance of native species, mortality of shore birds, changes in aquatic plant communities, and bank erosion (Hoover et al., 2004). In Mexico, P. multiradiatus also has been implicated in the reduction of the fisheries of carps and tilapias in Infiernillo Reservoir, Michoacan, and damage to fishing gear (La Jornada, 2005). In Tabasco, the immediate effects of P. pardalis comprise economic losses due to damage to gillnets used by local fishermen and reduction in the production of freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium). Apparently,
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P. pardalis crowds the fishing traps used for Macrobrachium and has diminished this fishery ( J. Garcia, pers. comm.). Additional sampling and monitoring is required to assess the impacts of this new exotic species on the native fauna of Tabasco. We thank the following for various forms of assistance: F. Wakida, Universidad Auto´noma de Baja California; V. Zarate-Noble, Instituto Nacional de la Pesca, Veracruz, Veracruz; J. Garcia, Frontera, Tabasco; and L. French, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. J. Armbruster, Auburn University, and L. Page, University of Florida, provided valuable information.
LITERATURE CITED ARMBRUSTER, J. W. 2004. Phylogenetic relationships of the suckermouth armoured catfishes (Loricariidae) with emphasis on the Hypostominae and the Ancistrinae. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 141:1–80. BUNKLEY-WILLIAMS, L., E. H. WILLIAMS, JR., C. G. LILYSTROM, I. CORUJO-FLORES, A. J. ZERBI, C. ALIAUME, AND T. N. CHURCHILL. 1994. The South American sailfin armored catfish, Liposarcus multiradiatus (Hancock), a new exotic established in Puerto Rican fresh waters. Caribbean Journal of Science 30:90–94. COMISIO´N NACIONAL PARA EL USO Y CONOCIMIENTO DE LA BIODIVERSIDAD (CONABIO). 2004. Especies Invasoras. Peces. http://www.conabio.gob.mx/conocimiento/ info_especies/especies_invasoras/doctos/peces.html (Accessed 6 July 2005). COURTENAY, W. R., JR., D. A. HENSLEY, J. N. TAYLOR, AND J. A. MCCANN. 1984. Distribution of exotic fishes in the continental United States. In: W. R. Courtenay, Jr. and J. R. Stauffer, Jr., editors. Distribution, biology, and management of exotic fishes. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland. Pages 41–77. HOOVER, J. J., K. J. KILLGORE, AND A. F. COFRANCESCO. 2004. Suckermouth catfishes: threats to aquatic ecosystems of the United States? ANRSP Bulletin 04-1. INICIATIVA MEXICANA PARA EL APRENDIZAJE E LA CONSERVACIO´N (IMAC). 2005. Invade pez de acuario lagunas de Tabasco. http://www.imacmexico.org/ev_es.php? ID518220_201&ID25DO_TOPIC (Accessed 6 July 2005). LA JORNADA. 2005. Sin control, la proliferacio´n del pez diablo en la Presa Infiernillo. http://www.jornada. unam.mx/2005/mar05/050321/michoacan/10n1soc. html (Accessed 16 April 2005). LIANG, S., H. WU, AND B. SHIEH. 2005. Size structure, reproductive phenology, and sex ratio of an exotic
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