Reproductive traits of two species of suckermouth armored catfishes (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from a coastal drainage in the southern limits of the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

• Published in: Environmental biology of fishes Vol. 105; no. 7; pp. 885 - 902
• Main Authors: Lampert, Vinicius Renner, Tondato-Carvalho, Karina Keyla, Fialho, Clarice Bernhardt
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01-07-2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Abiotic factors; Allometry; Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Environment; Fecundity; Females; Fish; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Gametocytes; Gonadosomatic index; Isometric; Life Sciences; Loricariidae; Males; Maturation; Nature Conservation; Oocytes; Parental behaviour; Photoperiods; Phylogenetics; Population structure; Rainfall; Reproduction; Reproduction (biology); Reproductive cycle; Reproductive strategy; River basins; Rivers; Seasons; Sex ratio; Siluriformes; Spawning; Species; Tributaries; Water depth; Zoology; Brazil; Length–weight relationship; Spawning type; Reproductive period; Neotropical freshwater fish; Fecundity; Size at first maturation
• ISSN: 0378-1909; 1573-5133
• DOI: 10.1007/s10641-022-01295-9

The reproductive traits of two loricariid catfishes,
Ancistrus multispinis
and
Pareiorhaphis hypselurus
, from tributaries of the Mampituba river basin, southern Brazil, were analyzed and tested for relationships with biotic and abiotic parameters. Samples were taken monthly from July 2008 to December 2009 and data were grouped by season. Traits include population structure, reproductive period, size at first maturation, fecundity, spawning type, and possible influences of biotic and abiotic factors on reproduction. Results found the sex ratio to be 1:1 for both species. Males of
A
.
multispinis
and both sexes of
P
.
hypselurus
presented isometric growth, while females of
A
.
multispinis
had positive allometric growth. The reproductive activity of both species started during winter and reached its highest intensity in spring and summer. Both species had low fecundity with large oocytes and multiple spawning. Size at first maturation for
A
.
multispinis
was 58.3 mm for males and 49.2 mm for females, while for
P
.
hypselurus
, it was 40.5 for males and 34.1 for females. Day length seems to be the most influential abiotic factor for increasing the gonadosomatic index (GSI) for both species. Other abiotic factors, such as water depth and velocity, rainfall, and temperature, may also play a role in the reproductive cycle. The hepatosomatic index (HSI) also influenced reproduction, especially for
A
.
multispinis
. The reproductive traits presented by both species, such as an extended reproductive period, large oocytes, low fecundity, multiple spawning, and the occurrence of parental care, place these species within the equilibrium reproductive strategy.