REEFFISH - Identifying the drivers of recruitment success in temperate reef fish

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Larval development and allometric growth of the black-faced blenny Tripterygion delaisi

Publication . Solomon, F. N.; Rodrigues, D.; Gonçalves, E. J.; Serrão, E. A.; Borges, R.

Larval development and allometric growth patterns of the black-faced blenny Tripterygion delaisi are described from a larval series (body length, L-B = 3.30-12.10 mm) caught by light traps at the Arrabida Marine Park, Portugal. Larvae of T. delaisi possess distinctive morphometric and meristic characteristics which can be used to identify this species from related taxa. Pigmentation is sparse but characteristic, consisting of pigmented eyes, gas bladder pigmentation in the dorsal region, anal pigmentation and a row of regularly spaced postanal ventral melanophores. This pattern is present from as early as the yolk-sac stage and persists throughout all stages with just the addition of head and caudal pigmentation during the flexion and postflexion stages, respectively. The majority of fin development (with the exception of the caudal fin), occurs in the later stages of development. Myomere counts range between 37 and 45 for all stages. Growth is allometric during larval development. When inflexion points of growth were detected, growth was found to be biphasic with the inflexion points occurring within a very narrow range of L-B (8.70-8.90 mm) close to the mean +/- S.D. (9.44 +/- 1.48 mm LB) of postflexion larvae. Considering allometric growth patterns and ontogenetic descriptions together, the first developmental phase includes the preflexion and flexion stage larvae, while the second phase characterises the postflexion larvae prior to the transition from larvae to juvenile. (C) 2017 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles

2017-06Journal article

Open Access

Early life history of larvae and early juvenile Atlantic horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus off the Portuguese west coast

Publication . Van Beveren, Elisabeth; Klein, Maria; Serrão, Ester; Gonçalves, Emanuel J.; Borges, R.

Early life history traits (ELHTs) are key to understand recruitment patterns in marine animals. However, for reef fishes, studies on ELHTs are mainly focused on tropical systems and little is known for temperate reefs. In this study we used SMURFs (Standard Monitoring Units for the Recruitment of Reef Fishes) to collect fish in a temperate rocky reef system (Arrabida Marine Park, Portugal) on a weekly basis for three months during the recruitment period. Six sub-surface SMURFs sampled 2490 Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) postlarvae and juveniles. Sagittal and lapilli otoliths were extracted from a subsample of 296 fish and ELHTs, such as size and age at settlement, growth rate and age at first secondary growth formation were examined. Additionally, we tested three growth curves and selected the best suited to back-calculate the hatching pattern based on the lengths of all sampled fish. Standard length ranged from 6.13 mm to 48.56 mm and subsampled fish were aged between 19 days to 44 days. Age and size at settlement were estimated between 19 days and 36 days for individuals of 6.13 mm and 24.95 mm, respectively. Otolith shape changed clearly with increasing age and, on average, secondary growth started to form on day 33 (+/-3 days). Age/length relationship was well described by a Gompertz growth model which was used to back-calculate hatching dates. Four distinct hatching cohorts were identified with fish of the earliest cohort showing a faster body and otolith growth. This study indicates that the nearshore environment might have an important role in the early growth, development and hence recruitment of Atlantic horse mackerel. Information on the early life history of Atlantic horse mackerel is key to understand recruitment processes for this economically and biologically important species. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

2016-07Journal article

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