Vol 2 #4 - Gobioid Research Institute
Transcription
Vol 2 #4 - Gobioid Research Institute
JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 Round Gobies in Captivity Before working with live round gobies, consult local state or provincial laws. In North America, it is generally illegal to possess live round gobies, either as bait or for aquarium use. The reason for these laws is to prevent accidental or intentional introductions to areas where they do not yet occur. However, if you would like to see captive round gobies, they may be observed at public aquariums such as the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois. Patricia Arseneault lives in Windsor, Ontario and is a wildlife rehabilitator for the Canadian Ministry of Natural Resources. Someone turned in a live round goby to her organization, which she kept in a 75 gallon community aquarium. (This was legal because of her state permit - assuming of course, that she not release the goby.) She found the new acquisition to be a delightful and endearing aquarium specimen; easy to feed with flake food, frozen brineshrimp and bloodworms. She was most highly impressed by its awareness to its surroundings, ability to recognize her as a food source, and ability to change color and pattern rapidly. She wrote: “When I first received him, he was a light olive green with a very striking darker pattern (similar to the checkerboard pattern on a fox snake). My tank bottom is sand with tons of plants. Within a few hours of placing him in the tank, he changed to a light brown with a green undertone and the pattern was pretty well gone. It happened so fast I wasn't even sure afterward that he had been a different color.” Unfortunately, an electrical mishap caused an early demise to some of Pat’s favorite fishes, including her round goby. 20 The Journal of the International Goby Society Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 Why Control Round Gobies? ISSN 1543-7744 ————————————————————————– The Journal of the International Goby Society (JIGS) is the quarterly publication of the International Goby Society (IGS). Non-profit organizations may reprint articles, however we ask that you contact the editor before doing so. Editor: Naomi R. Delventhal [email protected] or [email protected] International Goby Society, P.O. Box 329, Richland Center, WI 53581, USA ————————————————————————— Our scientific advisors: Dr. Helen K. Larson Indo-Pacific and Australian Gobies Dr. Richard Winterbottom Indo-Pacific Reef Gobies Dr. James L. Van Tassell Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Gobies Dr. Robert A. Patzner Mediterranean Gobies ————————————————————————— Contents Editor’s Introduction……………………………………….3 Goby Queries………………………………………………4 Mudskippers: The Periophthalmus species, Part 3………..9 By Richard Mleczko The Round Goby…………………………………………..13 By Naomi Delventhal 2 There are at least two major potential problems with the round goby’s presence in the Great Lakes. One is their competitive advantage over native species. Round gobies are more efficient feeders and also more aggressive than native darters and sculpins. The also reproduce more quickly. Unlike native sculpins, female round gobies spawn more than once per season. In some places, they have been shown to reduce the populations of these small native fishes. Another major problem of round gobies is their affect on the food web. As I mentioned earlier, round gobies are efficient consumers of zebra mussels. Larger fish eat round gobies, which sounds like a good situation, since zebra mussels are not usually available in useable form to native fishes. Unfortunately, this may cause serious problems because zebra mussels are filter feeders that take in large quantities of fine suspended material. Pollutants (such as mercury and PCBs) ingested by these mollusks build up in the bodies of the round gobies and are further concentrated in the piscivorous fish that eat them. Eventually these pollutants may be taken in by water birds or humans that eat the larger fish. Because of these negative effects, most ecologists and fisheries biologists believe it is important that the round goby not spread to other areas - particularly the Mississippi river and its drainage basin. For more information on round gobies, including many technical papers from which information for this article was drawn, visit the Sea Grant Nonindigenous Species Site: http://www.sgnis.org/update/goby.htm 19 JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 Life History of the Round Goby In both their native and introduced habitats, round gobies typically migrate to deeper water during the winter and shallow water during the spring to spawn. Each female spawns several times per season; males select cave-like structures as nests. Males attract the females by a mating call - not what most of us usually expect of a fish, although round gobies are not unique in this regard. Males take on a dark coloration during breeding season, when they are spawning and guarding eggs. It is thought that the males die after one breeding season. Round gobies lay large (about 3.5 mm) eggs which hatch in 2-3 weeks, depending on temperature. Unlike with most gobies, there is no planktonic larval stage - the newly hatched fry are already more than half a centimeter long and immediately hop about on the bottom like the adults. They stay in the nest, however, for a few days before moving on. Round goby development before hatching is indeed amazing. While still an embryo, the goby’s digestive system becomes functional, and while in the egg it actually swallows yolk material, digests some of it, and excretes the remainder! No other gobies are reported to have such a development. Round gobies are primarily carnivores that consume a range of bottom dwelling organisms - including insect larvae, crustaceans, small fish, fish eggs, and mollusks. This last item is especially important in their diet, because round gobies are efficient predators of another nonindigenous nuisance species, the zebra mussel. 18 JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 Editor’s Introduction This issue marks the end of the second year of JIGS, and looking back it has been a very interesting experience being editor. But it takes much more than an editor to make a good newsletter. I am indebted to all of my readers - both gobiologists and aquarists for comments, questions, articles, and for simply reading this modest publication. It’s not always easy to publish a goby newsletter, and sometimes I wonder how I manage to balance it with family, friends, 20 tanks of gobies, and my education. I thank all of you readers for your support - and for helping to make the International Goby Society and this publication a reality. Naomi Delventhal 31 July 2003 —————————————————————————— Cover photos: (Top) Gobiodon rivulatus, with its host coral. Photo by Phil Munday. (Bottom) Gobiodon histrio, in aquarium. Photo by Takahiko Mukai. Regarding the mix-up of the two species, Rick Winterbottom, who studies Gobiodon taxonomy, explains the history: “The confusion of G. rivulatus with G. histrio (a later name, and valid) came about because in the original description of G. rivulatus, Rüppell stated that it was green with red bars - and juveniles can be that, although I have never seen a green and red adult. This was picked up by Jack Randall, who identified his photo of G. histrio as G. rivulatus in his book on Red Sea fishes (both occur there). But Tony Harold has examined Rüppell’s type specimens of G. rivulatus, and they are the species with wavy thin bars on the head and the body. I went back to Rüppell’s original description (in German), and the translation relating to the colour pattern reads: ‘Ground colour of whole body emerald green, with a carmin-red labyrinth-like pattern of lines, all fins grass-green.’ So you can see how easy it is to go wrong!” 3 JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 Goby Queries Q. I really like clown gobies, and want to set up a tank just for them. Should they be kept with live corals? If I keep the red, green, and yellow ones together will they hybridize? Can they be bred easily in captivity, like neon gobies? A. The variously colored coral gobies (Gobiodon spp.) are comprised of 16 valid species, with several additional species awaiting formal description. Most aquarium dealers in the USA sell them as inexpensive beginner’s fishes, lumping them all together under the name “clown gobies.” This lack of attention is a pity, since they are a fascinating group of reef gobies. Species I’ve seen offered for sale include G. axillaris (brownish with somewhat indistinct red bands on the head), G. citrinus (various shades of yellow to almost black with narrow, well-defined “electric blue” bands on the head and similarly colored stripes at the bases of the dorsal and anal fins), G. histrio (green with wide red bands on the head and red stripes/spots on the body), G. okinawae (bright yellow with no stripes or bands), and G. quinquestrigatus (red with pale, narrow vertical lines on the head and a darker body and fins). G. rivulatus is similar to G. quinquestrigatus, but has narrow wavy lines on the body, as well. This species has been confused with G. histrio (see note under introduction). Other species may also show up from time to time in the trade. In nature, these small, highly compressed gobies are usually associated with branching corals of the genus Acropora. If you are a skilled reef aquarist, a coral set-up is possible, although the gobies may irritate the corals by constantly sitting on them and there is some evidence that the natural diet includes tissue from the host coral itself. Otherwise, the 4 Above: Inside of the Round Goby Watch Card, an example of the efforts being made to increase public awareness of the round goby’s presence as an invasive species. All images used by permission of Minnesota Sea Grant. 17 JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 Gobiodon okinawae, the most popular of the coral gobies in the hobby. Compared with other Gobiodon species, they are bolder and more likely to live in groups. Photo by Takahiko Mukai. Top: Cover side of the Round Goby Watch Card, which is often displayed in libraries and distributed free by Sea Grant in the Great Lakes region. Below: Back side of the Round Goby Watch Card, showing how to identify round gobies. 16 fish should be provided with artificial corals, coral skeletons, or branching type rock. These gobies will learn to accept a range of small drifting foods, but if they seem reluctant to eat at first, they should be offered live brineshrimp. It’s not easy to say whether different Gobiodon species would hybridize in aquaria. I have never heard a report of this happening and no hybrids have yet been identified in the wild. Coloration is usually important in goby courtship, and most Gobiodon species are distinct in coloration. According to Phil Munday, who studies the ecology of these gobies, another thing working against hybridization in the field is that species of Gobiodon have distinct patterns of habitat use (i.e. which coral colonies they inhabit), which means some species combinations are unlikely to ever occur in nature. Furthermore, a number of species might prefer the same species of corals but it is uncommon to find mixed species groups. This means the opportunities for interbreeding are not great. For example, G. histrio and G. axillaris both prefer to live in Acropora nasuta but you rarely find them in the same coral colony even in places where both species are very abundant. 5 JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 There only is one species, G. unicolor, that is commonly found to inhabit coral colonies with other species of Gobiodon. Like many other reef fishes, these gobies are hermaphrodites, and several species have been shown to be capable of sex change in both directions. In most species there is one mature breeding pair per coral colony, with immature fish being females. The ability to change sex is advantageous to the wild gobies - if one of a pair dies, the remaining individual does not need to travel as far to find another potential mate, thus reducing the risk of predation. The ability of Gobiodon to change sex is also advantageous to aquarists who wish to breed them in captivity, since (theoretically, at least) any two fish will become a malefemale pair. In captivity they can be kept either as pairs or in a harem, although in some species only the dominant pair spawns. Coral gobies reproduce readily in aquaria, laying their eggs on corals (or in the absence of corals, on rocks, or even on the aquarium glass). Raising the young is another matter. The larvae are small and the best rearing success has been reported using large, microalgae filled tanks and rotifers as first food. Q. What can you tell me about sexual dimorphism in bumblebee gobies? Also, I’ve been using “aquarium grade” rock salt for their water, but guessing at the quantities. How much (spoonfuls or weight) per 10 gallons? I’ve recently added a “dragon fish” (Gobioides broussoneti). The only info I can find says they’re from North America (where?), grow to 19 inches and eat worms, etc. Anything you can add? J.R. Erickson Gavilan Hills, California 6 JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 The tubenose goby (Proterorhinus marmoratus), a smaller goby species (endangered in the Black and Caspian Seas) has also recently been found in the St. Clair River. However, it has not spread as quickly as the round goby, and being a less aggressive fish, has not caused as much concern among ecologists and fisheries biologists. In North America, round gobies are often found in habitats of larger stones and rubble. In Chicago, Illinois, I observed numerous round gobies in rocky areas less than a meter deep. Local fishermen reported that they are easy to catch if bait is allowed to sink. In some parts of their introduced range round gobies are extremely abundant, but in other areas maintain only low populations. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, I fished for round gobies but did not catch any (only one was reported caught in the bay during the three days I was there). But farther north in Sturgeon Bay anglers catch so many round gobies they find them quite annoying! Interesting Facts About the Round Goby Like many other gobies, the round goby has fused pelvic fins and lacks a swim bladder. It therefore maintains a bottom dwelling lifestyle, generally resting on the substrate. Also typical of gobies, it has a canal system on the head, but only superficial neuromasts on the body (instead of a true lateral line where the neuromasts are enclosed in a canal system). This sensory system is ideal for night feeding, and helps give the round goby a competitive advantage over native benthic fishes with similar habitat needs, including sculpins (family Cottidae) and darters (Etheostoma and Percina spp.). It is large for a goby, with the maximum size reported about 30 cm, but usually remains significantly smaller. 15 JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 Stowaway! The round goby is native to Eurasia, where it is found in areas of the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea and other bodies of water including larger rivers. It has a high tolerance for a range of environmental conditions such as salinity and temperature. In many parts of its native range, the waters have become highly polluted due to industry. Like many other invasive aquatic species, the round goby is thought to have arrived in the Great Lakes as an accident - in this case, as a stowaway in the ballast water of ships traveling from Eurasia, probably during the late 1980s. The fish (or their eggs) most likely were taken in with the ballast water of a transatlantic vessel, and survived the journey across the ocean to be dumped into a new habitat. As with other organisms, an obvious responsibility of individual round gobies is to survive and multiply, which is exactly what they did, having found the new habitat to be quite suitable for both activities. In North America, round gobies were first captured in the St. Clair River (between Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair) in 1990. Within a space of five years, the round goby had found its way to each of the five Great Lakes. What hastened the speed of its spread is thought to be the same mechanism which brought it to North America in the first place. Ships traveling within the Great Lakes also take in large quantities of (sometimes goby-laden) water, discharging it in other locations along with its piscine passengers. The same year round gobies showed up in the St. Clair River, they were discovered for the first time in the Gulf of Gdansk in the Baltic Sea (Poland) - again showing their ability to establish themselves in new locations. 14 JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 A. The most reliable way to distinguish the male and female of most goby species (including bumblebee gobies) is by observing the shape of the urogenital papilla. This small structure is located just after the vent and in front of the anal fin. In males, it is pointed and often curved; in females it is shorter, thicker, and blunt. Unfortunately, it is not always easily visible until spawning time is near. In female bumblebee gobies, the developing eggs are often visible through the yellow band on the belly, and a highly gravid female is easy to identify. In my experience, the males of Brachygobius doriae (the species most often sold) tend to be more orange in the yellow bands, while the females are paler yellow. During courtship, the dark bands of both sexes become pale, leaving the male with an overall yellow-orange appearance, and the female looking faded yellow and gray. Regarding the ideal salt concentration for bumblebees, B. doriae can survive in water that is entirely fresh to over 1/4 strength seawater. Usually, I prefer to keep them in the lower range, since in nature they are found primarily in freshwater. A little salt does help prevent disease, especially in softer water; 1-3 teaspoons per gallon is appropriate. Gobiodes broussoneti (known by several common names, although “violet goby” is preferred) has a wide distribution 7 JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 Gobiodes broussoneti is known by several names, including violet goby, dragon goby, and dragon eel. JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 The Round Goby: When a Good Fish Ends Up In the Wrong Place By Naomi Delventhal [email protected] There aren’t any gobies native to my home state, Wisconsin. on the Atlantic side of the Americas, ranging from South Carolina in the north to Brazil in the South. It has been known to grow to about 20 inches, but rarely exceeds 12 inches in captivity. Violet gobies do better in more strongly brackish water than do bumblebee gobies, about 1/3 strength seawater. They also should be kept in cooler water (about 65—75 degrees); bumblebees do best at warmer temperatures in the mid 80s. For these reasons they do not make ideal tank mates. Violet gobies are best kept in larger (at least 48 inch) tanks with a soft, sandy substrate and rocks or pipes for burrowing. Probably the most common problem people have keeping violet gobies in captivity is starvation. Violet gobies don’t feed by sight, but rather by shoveling the substrate for edibles and gulping mouthfuls of water. In community tanks, the other fish usually find all the food before the violet gobies come out of hiding. This can be prevented by feeding the violet gobies after the lights have gone out. Violet gobies learn to eat a range of sinking foods, but newly introduced individuals often require blackworms. 8 And, until a few years ago, we didn’t have any gobies at all in Wisconsin waters. This changed, however, when the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) came to the Great Lakes. Now, in Wisconsin as well as the other states and provinces that border the Great Lakes, the round goby has become a permanent resident, and it is closely studied and monitored for possible negative effects on native fishes. In some of these Great Lakes areas, the word “goby” alone means one thing – the round goby. In fact, the round goby’s infamous reputation has gone far beyond those places where it has colonized. Try doing an Internet search using Google, and you will find more “hits” for the round goby than any other goby species. (This is in part due to the efforts of agencies such as Sea Grant, which publicize information on invasive species.) Biological invasions have been a normal part of history, but in recent centuries they have increased in frequency because of human activities. It is unlikely that the round goby will cause an ecological disaster on the magnitude of that caused by the Nile perch in Lake Victoria in Africa. But what has made the round goby a successful invader? And what will be the long term effects of its presence in the Great Lakes? These are fascinating and important questions, and we don’t have all the answers yet. 13 JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 King, R.P. and M. T. Udo. 1997. Vegetational succession - mediated spatial heterogeneity in the environmental biology of Periophthalmus Barbarus (Gobiidae) in the estuarine swamps of Imo estuary, Nigeria. International journal of surface mining, reclamation and environment, Volume11. Steeger, H.U. and C. R. Bridges. 1995. A method for long-term measurement of respiration in intertidal fishes during simulated intertidal conditions. Journal of Fish Biology, volume 47. Udo, M.T. 2002. Trophic attributes of the mudskipper Periophthalmus barbarus (Gobiidae: Oxudercinae) in the mangrove swamps of Imo estuary, Nigeria. Environmental Sciences (China), 14(4). JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 Mudskippers The Periophthalmus Species Part 3 Periophthalmus barbarus By Richard Mleczko [email protected] Udo, M.T. 2002. Morphometric relationships and reproductive maturation of the mudskipper Periophthalmus barbarus from subsistence catches in the mangrove swamps of IMO estuary, Nigeria. Environmental Sciences (China), 14(2). Udo, M.T. 2002. Intersexual plasticity in aspects of the biology of the mudskipper Periophthalmus barbarus (Gobiidae) in the mangrove swamps of IMO Estuary, Nigeria. Environmental Sciences (China), 14(1). Photo by Richard Markham Species identification: Linnaeus 1766. P. barbarus in captivity. Photo by Marli Tanobe About the Author Richard Mleczko is a hobbyist who knows what he’s talking about. Visit his Mudskipper and Goby Website at http://members.ozemail.com.au/~thebobo/goby.htm 12 Species name: The name barbarus is from the Greek barbaros, meaning foreign, possibly referring to the marked differences between this species and other gobies. Other used names: Gobius barbarus, Gobius koelreuteri, Periophthalmus koelreuteri, Periophthalmus papilio, Periophthalmus papillon, Periophthalmus gabonicus, Periophthalmus erythronemus. 9 JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 July 2003 Common names: Atlantic mudskipper, Butterfly mudskipper, Tokouintokouin (Benin), Adi, Soetsi, Lamole (Ghana). July 2003 ————————————————————————— Periophthalmus barbarus featured in the literature. Compiled by Richard Mleczko Etim, L., T. Brey and W. Arntz. 1996. A seminal study of the dynamics of a mudskipper (Periophthalmus papilio) population in the Cross River, Nigeria. Netherlands Journal of Aquatic Ecology, 30(1). Distribution: Known only from West Africa; Gambia, Senegal, Benin, Nigeria, Angola and the Gulf of Guinea Islands. Photo by Marli Tanobe Distinguishing features: One of the only two Periophthalmus species to have blue in the first dorsal fin. Brilliant blue spots on face and some blue vertical stripes on the body. Physical characteristics: Typical length range 10 to 20 cm. First dorsal fin has 10 to 14 spines, second dorsal fin has 11 to 14 elements. Anal fin has 9 to 11 elements. The pelvic fins of P. barbarus JIGS Vol. 2 No. 4 Sexual dimorphism: The genital papilla is broader and the free end more rounded in females, on average the height of the first dorsal fin is greater in males. Aquarium suitability: Very good, most often exported to Europe and the United States. 10 Etim, L, R.P. King and M.T. Udo. 2002. Breeding, growth, mortality and yield of the mudskipper Periophthalmus barbarus (Linneaus 1766) (Teleostei: Gobiidae) in the Imo River estuary, Nigeria. Fisheries Research, 56(3). King, R.P. 1996. Population dynamics of the Mud Skipper Periophthalmus barbarus (Gobiidae) in the Estuarine Swamp of Cross River, Nigeria. Journal of Aquatic Sciences, volume 11. King, R.P. and M. T. Udo. 2001. Fecundity of the mudskipper Periophthalmus barbarus (Gobiidae) in Imo River, Nigeria. Archive of Fishery and Marine Research, 49(2). King, R.P. and M. T. Udo. 1998. Dynamics in the length-weight parameters of the mudskipper Periophthalmus barbarus (Gobiidae), in Imo River estuary, Nigeria. Helgolander Meeresuntersuchungen, 52(2). King, R.P. and M. T. Udo. 1998. Ovarian morphogenesis, breeding cycle and fecundity of the mudskipper Periophthalmus barbarus in the Imo River estuary, Nigeria. African Fishes and Fisheries Diversity and Utilisation, FISA, Grahamstown, South Africa. King, R.P. and M. T. Udo. 1998. Seasonality in diet and foraging performance of the mudskipper, Periophthalmus barbarus (Gobiidae) in the Imo River estuary, Nigeria. Fish and Fisheries of Southeastern Nigeria. King, R.P. and M. T. Udo. 1997. Some aspects of the reproductive biology of the endangered mudskipper, Periophthalmus barbarus (Gobiidae), in Imo River estuary, Nigeria. Trans. Nig. Soc. Biol. Conserv, Volume 50. 11
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