Non-indigenous armoured catfish in Vietnam: invasion and systematics

Invasion of South American suckermouth armoured catfishes Pterygoplichthys spp. (Loricariidae) in Kerala, India - a case study

“…Armoured catfishes have established natural populations across its invasive range (Zworykin & Budaev 2013) and there are several factors that contribute to the successful invasion of loricariids world over. The ability to withstand water pollution (Welcomme & Vidthayanom 2003), toleration of poor oxygen content in water by means of accessory respiration with diverticula of the gastrointestinal tract (Armbruster 1998), lower number of predators and less vulnerability to predation due to spiny fins and hard external 'armour' (Zworykin and Budaev 2013), occasional migrations across land and low current velocity (Nico et al 2012), peculiarities in reproduction and development such as prolonged reproductive period, batch spawning, development of eggs at very low water levels and active parental care (Hoover et al 2004;Liang et al 2005), coupled with greater feeding opportunities in smaller streams (Nico et al 2012) help them to invade a variety of ecosystems and to establish successfully.…”

“…Native to the streams, floodplain lakes and marshes of South America, the suckermouth sailfin catfish Pterygoplichthys spp. have successfully invaded inland water bodies of various countries across the world, including Philippines (Joshi 2006;Hubilla et al 2007), Japan (Nakabo 2002), Taiwan (Wu et al 2011), Vietnam (Zworykin & Budaev 2013), Sri Lanka (Sumanasinghe & Amarasinghe 2013), Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore (Page & Robins 2006), Israel (Golani & Snovsky 2013), Turkey (Ozdilek 2007), Bangladesh (Hossain et al 2008), Mexico (Armando et al 2007), Europe (Keszka et al 2008;Piazzini et al 2010;Simonovic et al 2010) and USA (Nico & Martin 2001).…”

Occurrence of Suckermouth Armoured Sailfin Catfishes in Vellayani Fresh Water Lake, Kerala, Southwest Coast of India

“…The ability to withstand water pollution (Welcomme et al 2003), toleration of poor oxygen content in water by means of accessory respiration with diverticula of the gastrointestinal tract (Armbruster 2006), lower number of predators and less vulnerability to predation due to spiny fins and hard external "armour" (Zworykin et al 2013), occasional migrations across land and low current velocity (Nico et al 2012), peculiarities in reproduction and development such as prolonged reproductive period, batch spawning, development of eggs at very low water levels and active parental care (Hoover et al 2004), coupled with greater feeding opportunities in smaller streams (Nico et al 2012) help them to invade a variety of ecosystems and to establish successfully. A survey conducted among the ornamental fish traders and hobbyists in Thiruvananthapuram City revealed an interesting fact that when the specimens grow in size, the traders and hobbyists find it difficult to keep them in tanks and therefore release them into the natural drainages (Bijukumar, et al2015).…”

Introduction and establishment of tropical ornamental fish, Pterygoplichthys spp. (Actinopterygii: Siluriformes: Loricariidae) in hot springs: Aquarium trade as a potential risk for biodiversity in Turkey

“…Herbivorous sailfi n catfi shes are usually successful invaders across its invasive range (Zworykin and Budaev 2013) and several factors facilitate their invasion into a variety of ecosystems. The most import are: their water pollution tolerance, low oxygen level tolerance (aided by accessory respiration), predation defence tools, such as spiny fi ns and hard external armour (Zworykin and Budaev 2013), advanced spawning behaviour (batch spawning, extended spawning period, and parental care) (Hoover et al 2004, Liang et al 2005.…”

“…The most import are: their water pollution tolerance, low oxygen level tolerance (aided by accessory respiration), predation defence tools, such as spiny fi ns and hard external armour (Zworykin and Budaev 2013), advanced spawning behaviour (batch spawning, extended spawning period, and parental care) (Hoover et al 2004, Liang et al 2005. The above-mentioned advanced surviving features of sailfi n catfi shes may have negative impact on the ecosystem and the biodiversity (Hoover et al 2004, Zworykin andBudaev 2013). Their grazing behaviour may alter the food web, especially when they become abundant (Smith 1981).…”