Diversity and evolution of life histories of gobioid fishes from the viewpoint of heterochrony

Abstract

The ontogenies of the gobioid fishes are matched against a framework of age-based heterochrony and their life-history strategies are discussed on the basis of published reports. Deceleration was observed in Leucopsarion, Crystallogobius and some species of Luciogobius from temperate or cold waters. Hypomorphosis was observed in Schindleria, Paedogobius and another species of Luciogobius, the former two genera maturing at one month or two after hatching throughout the year in tropical environments. Acceleration was observed in oxudercines, soft bottom-dwellers in intertidal areas and mangrove swamps, during larval and juvenile periods. Their acceleration, based on warm conditions allowing fast metamorphosis, may be an adaptation allowing immediate recruitment to a littoral life style. Hypermorphosis was observed in Acanthogobius flavimanus, which develops more slowly than other congeners. Isomorphosis by acceleration and hypomorphosis was observed during the larval and juvenile periods in fluvial Rhinogobius spp. and Acentrogobius viridipunctatus. This developmental shift, with truncation of the larval period, seems to be an important event among gobioid fishes, facilitating their survival in severe environments such as spates in rivers or on mudflats.

Heterochrony and the evolution of the longjaw mudsucker (Gobiidae, Teleostei)

“…Peramorphic heterochrony is poorly documented in gobies, which are more often thought to evolve via paedomorphosis (Kon & Yoshino, 2002). A typical evolutionary trend among gobies is a reduction in body size and thus truncation of development (Miller, 1979).…”

Reproductive traits exhibited by the paedomorphic gobies exploited in the Majorcan transparent goby fishery (western Mediterranean) and their management implications

“…Additionally, the crystal goby, Crystallogobius linearis (Düben 1845), is another small goby considered a bycatch but with special interest because it is sold with the target species, so it has commercial value. The three species share morphological and evolutive traits (Kon and Yoshino 2002); they are small, progenetic pelagic species (<60 mm total length, L T ) that do not live more than one year (De Buen 1931). In previous studies conducted on A. minuta in waters off Majorca, the oldest individuals were 7-8 months old (Iglesias et al 1997).…”

Validating the growth increment periodicity in the otoliths of three small progenetic gobies

“…The three species share morphological and evolutive traits (Kon and Yoshino 2002), being small progenetic pelagic species (<60 mm total length) which live no more than one year (De Buén 1931). A. minuta and P. ferreri gobies are distributed in the European Atlantic from Gibraltar to the coasts of Norway and the Baltic Sea, and in the Mediterranean (Miller 1986, La Mesa et al 2005), whereas C. linearis is restricted to the Mediterranean (Wheeler 1992).…”