First record of non-native platyfish, Xiphophorus maculatus (Günther, 1866) (Cyprinodontiformes, Poeciliidae), in the Jaguaribe River basin, northeastern Brazil

Abstract

We provide the first record of Xiphophorus maculatus (Günther, 1866) in a river basin in the northeastern Brazil. Specimens were collected in the Jaguaribe River basin, João Pessoa, Paraíba state, Brazil. Two hundred eighty-one specimens, corresponding to 143 males and 138 females of X. maculatus, were collected at nine sites along the basin, from 2017 to 2019. Specimens total length ranged from 17.5 to 26.6 mm in males and from 11.7 to 32.7 mm in females. Introduction of non-native species greatly threatens the biological diversity worldwide. When introduced into a new habitat, X. maculatus usually decreases microcrustacean, macroinvertebrate and native fish populations.

Espécies de peixes do estuário do Rio Paraíba, nordeste do Brasil

“…The occurrence of these invading species may be either related to their commercial potential, in terms of food for human consumption (O. niloticus) or the aquarium trade (Poecilia spp.). The introduction of these species may have resulted from fish farms along rivers that empty into the estuary (Leão et al 2011) or the improper discard of specimens obtained through the ornamental fish trade, as documented for Xiphophorus maculatus (Günther 1866) in a tributary to the Paraiba River estuary, but not recorded herein (Magalhães & Jacobi 2010, Ramos et al 2020). As it is established that alien species are one of the human-driven threats to biodiversity, the occurrence of two exotic species here leads us to reaffirm the importance of estuaries conservation (Vitousek et al 1997, Bellard et al 2016.…”

First record of non-native Xiphophorus maculatus (Günther, 1866) (Cyprinodontiformes, Poeciliidae) in the state of Maranhão, northeastern Brazil

“…Xiphophorus maculatus (Günther, 1866), popularly known as platy fish, was originally distributed in freshwater environments along the Atlantic slope of Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala (see Results for more details); however, it is now widely introduced to several countries, including Brazil (Lucinda 2003;Fricke et al 2021b). The aquarium trade is the primary pathway for introduction of this species, as platy fishes are a common in the aquarium hobby as they present a plastic coloration, a wide tolerance to a variety of environmental parameters, and the distinctiveness of being a live-bearing fish (Kallman 1975;Nico and Fuller 2009;Ramos et al 2020). However, despite being a widely distributed invasive species, the first record of X. maculatus for a river system of northeastern Brazil was only published in 2020, from the Municipality of João Pessoa, state of Paraíba (Ramos et al 2020).…”

“…The aquarium trade is the primary pathway for introduction of this species, as platy fishes are a common in the aquarium hobby as they present a plastic coloration, a wide tolerance to a variety of environmental parameters, and the distinctiveness of being a live-bearing fish (Kallman 1975;Nico and Fuller 2009;Ramos et al 2020). However, despite being a widely distributed invasive species, the first record of X. maculatus for a river system of northeastern Brazil was only published in 2020, from the Municipality of João Pessoa, state of Paraíba (Ramos et al 2020).…”

First record of the exotic species platyfish Xiphophorus maculatus (Günther, 1866) in an urban floodplain of a Brazilian neotropical river

“…These species are considered a major threat to biodiversity around the world (Vitule, 2009), as they compete for resources and habitat, generating environmental imbalance. Poeciliids have great invasive potential and can cause changes in resource availability and native fish community structure (Ramos et al, 2020;Magalhães et al, 2021). Among the potentially Resumo: Objetivo: Este trabalho relata a primeira ocorrência da espécie exótica Xiphophorus maculatus (Günther, 1866) na bacia do Rio Sorocaba.…”

“…The presence of this species in the indicated environments is mainly due to disposal by aquarists. It is known that the species Xiphophorus maculatus, once established in the environment, can reduce populations of microcrustaceans and macroinvertebrates (Ramos et al, 2020), altering the food chain and interfering with resources for other species, such as the native Phalloceros harpagos. Inventories of exotic species in the basin in question should be encouraged, so that the presence of this genus in other places can be verified.…”