Reproductive biology of the peacock bass Cichla piquiti (Perciformes: Cichlidae), an exotic species in a Neotropical reservoir

Abstract

To analyze the reproductive biology of the peacock bass Cichla piquiti, 361 specimens were collected bimonthly in the Itumbiara Reservoir, southeast Brazil, from December 2004 to November 2005. Males and females in reproductive activity occurred during almost the entire year, with reproductive peak occurring before the beginning of the rains when the water temperature remained low, indicating that these environmental variables do not directly influence in the reproduction of C. piquiti. The long reproductive period, partially spent ovaries contained postovulatory follicles and oocytes in all developmental stages, indicate asynchronous development of oocytes and multiple spawning. The mean total length and body weigth were, respectively, 38.2 ± 7 cm and 965.0 ± 654.0 g for males and 37.4 ± 6.1 cm and 899.0 ± 495.0 g for females, statistically showing no sexual dimorphism in size. The smallest male and female found in advanced maturation stage measured 31.0 cm and 29.0 cm of total length, respectively. The body condition (K) of males and females did not present significant differences during the reproductive cycle and the slope (b) of the length-weight relationship was 3.22, suggesting that reproduction and the annual hydrology cycle do not interfere in the health condition. Cichla piquiti is an exotic piscivore fish that is well adapted to this Neotropical reservoir, which exhibits environmental conditions considerably different from its original habitat. This study indicates that the species presents plasticity in reproduction and in allocation of resources, probably due the aseasonality of the reservoir and the exploitation of native species.Para analisar a biologia reprodutiva do tucunaré Cichla piquiti foram coletados bimestralmente 361 exemplares no reservatório de Itumbiara, sudeste do Brasil, no período de dezembro/2004 a novembro/2005. Machos e fêmeas em atividade reprodutiva ocorreram durante quase todo ano, com pico reprodutivo antes do início das chuvas, quando a temperatura da água permanecia ainda baixa, indicando que estas variáveis ambientais não influenciaram diretamente na reprodução de C. piquiti. O longo período reprodutivo, ovários parcialmente desovados contendo folículos pós-ovulatórios e ovócitos em todos os estádios de desenvolvimento, indicaram desenvolvimento assincrônico dos ovócitos e desova múltipla. A média de comprimento total e peso corporal foram, respectivamente, 38,2 ± 7,0 cm e 965,0 ± 654,0 g para machos e 37,4 ± 6,1 cm e 899,0 ± 495,0 g para fêmeas, estatisticamente não mostrando dimorfismo sexual em tamanho. Os menores exemplares, macho e fêmea, capturados no estádio de maturação avançada mediram 31,0 cm e 29,0 cm de comprimento total, respectivamente. O fator de condição (K) de machos e fêmeas não apresentou diferenças significativas durante o ciclo reprodutivo e o coeficiente angular (b) da relação peso-comprimento foi 3,22, sugerindo que a reprodução e o ciclo hidrológico anual não interferem na condição de saúde. Cichla piquiti é um peixe piscívoro exótico que está bem ad...

Population structure and reproductive period of two introduced fish species in a Brazilian semiarid region reservoir

“…For C. monoculus the statistical analysis showed that the species did not reproduce throughout the year, but showed a long reproductive period that was not markedly seasonal. Similar results for the species were found in other studies (Gomeira & Braga, 2004;Chellappa et al, 2003;Muñoz, Damme, & Duponchelle, 2006;Souza et al, 2008;Gomiero et al, 2009;Normando et al, 2009;Vieira, Salvador, Melo, Santos, & Bazzoli, 2009).…”

Feeding and reproductive ecology of Cichla piquiti Kullander & Ferreira, 2006 within its native range, Lajeado reservoir, rio Tocantins basin

“…In addition, the regional climate in the Tocantins basin is tropical warm, so temperature is not a limiting factor. In southern basins, where seasonal variation in temperature is remarkable (warm summers and cold winters), reproduction is restricted to warm months (Souza et al, 2008;Gomiero et al, 2009;Vieira et al, 2009;Pelicice et al, 2015). Therefore, environmental stability in Lajeado (water level and temperature) may explain the absence of trade-offs in energy allocation over the year, since reproductive and feeding activities are continuous among different individuals of the population.…”

“…Basic ecological aspects (e.g., feeding, reproduction) have been studied in hydrographic basins where Cichla is nonnative, particularly in the rio Paraná basin (e.g., Fugi et al, 2008;Souza et al, 2008;Gomiero et al, 2009;Vieira et al, 2009;Espínola et al, 2010;Villares Junior & Gomiero, 2010;Luiz et al, 2011;Santos et al, 2011). This information is important to clarify issues related to impact and invasion, but has little significance for the understanding of colonization, dynamics and persistence of native populations in Amazonian reservoirs.…”

“…For example, in natural fluvial environments, reproduction is usually constrained by water level variation (Jepsen et al, 1999;Muñoz et al, 2006), while feeding is diverse and essentially piscivorous (Jepsen et al, 1997;Winemiller, 2001;Montaña et al, 2011). In non-Amazonian reservoirs, reproduction is constrained by temperature (Souza et al, 2008;Gomiero et al, 2009;Vieira et al, 2009;Pelicice et al, 2015) and diet is poor and based on cannibalism, invertebrates and non-native fish (Fugi et al, 2008;Capra & Benneman, 2009;Villares Junior & Gomiero, 2010;Santos et al, 2011). In Amazonian reservoirs, however, feeding and breeding patterns may be less constrained by environmental variation, considering that seasonal variations in hydrology and temperature are small, and that prey fish (small-sized) are abundant and diverse.…”

“…Cichla piquiti is endemic to the Araguaia-Tocantins basin (Kullander & Ferreira, 2006), but it has been introduced in reservoirs elsewhere (Vieira et al, 2009;Luiz et al, 2011). In the area affected by Lajeado reservoir, the species is now economically relevant and have replaced large migratory species in markets.…”