The salinity tolerance ofPseudophoxinus stymphalicus(Cyprinidae) andValencia letourneuxi(Valenciidae) from western Greece suggests a revision of the ecological categories of freshwater fishes

Abstract

The salinity tolerance of two common teleosts from Greece, one a primary division species, Pseudophoxinus stymphalicus, the other a secondary division species, Valencia letourneuxi, was evaluated in laboratory studies. Experimental subjects were acclimated to a salinity of 6 ppt. Through gradual increases, individuals of P. stymphalicus were able to tolerate salinities up to 12-13 ppt, while individuals of V. letourneuxi survived in normal seawater (33 ppt) and had an upper lethal limit of ca. 46 ppt. Valencia letourneuxi, one of two species of the Mediterranean family Valenciidae, is one of the least euryhaline of secondary division teleost fishes. Its distribution matches that of P. stymphalicus, suggesting that its dispersion was not by way of marine waters but by mechanisms used by primary and primary-like freshwater fishes. We reconsider the primary and secondary division and primary-like categories and propose that five basic groups be recognized: primary, primary-like, secondary low salt tolerant, secondary high salt tolerant, and peripheral.

An update on the status of native and exotic freshwater fishes of Italy

“…Three species have been described in this region which belong to the Padano‐Venetian district: Salmo farioides Karaman, ; from the Krka River and several others rivers, described before as Salmo zrmanjaensis Karaman, ; from the Zrmanje River (Karaman, ), and Salmo visovacensis Taler, 1850 from the Visovacic Lake and Krka River. These basins include numerous primary or primary‐like representatives (Bianco and Nordlie, ) of the Padany‐Venetian district: Padogobius bonellii , Alburnus arborella , Squalius squalus , Pomatoschistus canestrini , and Barbus plebejus . Also, for palaeogeographic history, dispersal events occurred during the last Würm glaciation, about 10–15 000 years ago, when the extended Po basin reached the meso‐Adriatic ditch in the central Adriatic Sea (Bianco, ), joining rivers of the two Adriatic slopes.…”

Striped catfish ( Pangasianodon hypophthalmus ) could be suitable for coastal aquaculture

“…The 96 hr LC 50 value of salinity were recorded in several studies, such as 6‰ for Aristichthys nobilis (Garcia, Garcia, Pineda, Gammad, & Canta, 1999), 11‰ for Pseudophoxinus stymphalicus (Bianco & Nordlie, 2008) and 13‰ for Jaba barb (Amin et al, 2016). Fish species respond differently at different salinity levels.…”

Current distribution and ecology of the critically endangered Valencia letourneuxi in Greece

“…Conductivity which corresponds to salinity, was not apparently negatively related to the presence of V. letourneuxi, as the species was found also in three habitats with brackish water (Northern Acheron canal, Vlychos springs and Astakos springs) indicating its tolerance to higher saline conditions. A recent study has shown that V. letourneuxi is indeed one of the least salinity tolerant species in comparison with other secondary division species, with a primarylike distribution in the Mediterranean area (Bianco & Nordlie 2008). …”