Life-history features of a rapids-dwelling loricariid catfish from Atlantic forest streams, Brazil

Abstract

Spatial distribution, suitable spawning sites, and sexual dimorphism were investigated in armored catfish Neoplecostomus microps in the Macaé River from March 2004 to March 2005. Individuals of N. microps (n=290) were limited to fast-flowing stretches, and the distribution was related to ontogenetic development. Larvae in post-flexion occurred in the marginal vegetation, and adults only in gaps between boulders and stones in the river channel. Juveniles occurred in both environments. Spawns were found in the natural habitat in rapid stretches, with the eggs attached to the lower surface of stones in openings formed in the riverbed. The number of eggs per stone ranged from 62 to 375, with significant differences among the mean sizes of the eggs. Sexual dimorphism was noticed to N. microps. The anal and urogenital papillae are separated in males and merged in females and there is an epidermal growth along the pectoral-fin spine of males.

Oocyte growth, follicular complex formation and extracellular-matrix remodeling in ovarian maturation of the imperial zebra pleco fish Hypancistrus zebra

“…In this species the oocytes are large but relatively few, as in other loricariids, e.g. Rhinelepis aspera 17 , Neoplecostomus microps 18 and Harttia torrenticola 19 . Generally, the presence of larger but fewer oocytes is related to the mode of reproduction and parental care of the species, which suggests a higher survival rate of the brood 19 , 20 .…”

Reproductive biology of the tiger pleco Panaqolus tankei (Loricariidae) in a lentic system of the Amazon Basin

“…The continuous presence of oocytes of different diameters, together with their asynchronous development, indicates the existence of an oocyte reserve for the subsequent reproductive cycle and suggests that P. tankei follows a fractional spawning strategy (Brito et al ., ). In the present study, the reproductive strategy of this species did not show a correlation with the biological parameters K 1 , K 2 or I G among the different hydrological periods.…”

“…The smallest reproductive female and male were only 47.4 and 54.1 mm long, respectively. In Loricariidae, parental care is performed by males in their nests and this behaviour may explain the low occurrence of males during the study, especially during periods of reproductive activity (Brito et al ., ; Sabaj et al ., ). The length–mass relationship did not differ between sexes and was best described by the equation M T = 0.0037 L T 3.73 ( r 2 = 0.94).…”

Reproductive biology of the armored catfish Neoplecostomus microps in a coastal Atlantic Forest stream, southeastern Brazil

“…The headwaters lie between 810 and 1090 m above sea level. The upper and middle courses of the Macaé River and its tributaries are dominated by rapids and waterfalls, with stony beds be tween sandy pools (Brito 2007). During the study period, the highest rain fall values occurred from November to March.…”

“…The genus comprises 17 species (Eschmeyer et al 2016), and little is known of their biology and ecology. Neoplecostomus microps occurs in the Paraíba do Sul basin (Langeani 1990, Bizerril 1995 and adjacent coastal rivers (Buckup 2007), in fast-flowing stretches with stones and boulders (Brito et al 2016). Recently, studies on distribution pattern, sexual dimorphism, nesting sites, and some reproductive attributes were published for populations in the Paraíba do Sul and Macaé River basins (Braga et al 2008, Brito et al 2016.…”