Using barcoding of larvae for investigating the breeding seasons of pimelodid catfishes from the Marañon, Napo and Ucayali rivers in the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

Summary Amazonian ichthyofauna has one of the richest specific diversities on earth. However, life history strategies of most species remain poorly‐known owing to logistical difficulties, although this information is essential for species conservation and sustainable fisheries management. An inventory of specific diversity in plankton samples might be an efficient way of studying breeding seasons and breeding localities of fish species, providing their precise taxonomic identification can be ensured. Herein, using barcoding of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, species were identified in monthly plankton samples collected in the lower reaches of the Napo, Marañón and Ucayali rivers. A total of 16 species of pimelodid catfish were identified. For the most abundant species, two tendencies were observed, with breeding periods preferentially occurring during rising and high water periods (Brachyplatystoma filamentosum, Pimelodus blochii) or during receding and low water periods (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii, Brachyplatystoma platynemum, Brachyplatystoma vaillantii, Hypophthalmus edentatus, Hypophthalmus marginatus). For all of these species except for B. rousseauxii, this is new information for the Peruvian Amazon. Their reproductive behaviours are discussed in term of adaptive strategies to environmental conditions, where hydrological cycles play essential roles in resource accessibility and dispersal capabilities.

DNA Metabarcoding of Amazonian Ichthyoplankton Swarms

“…The results showed that the breeding activity of the Pimelodidae family was spread out over the eight months of the study. However, the results also suggested that more species reproduce during the falling and rising water periods, which is consistent with the results of earlier studies on adults [14,17] and on larvae [25,46]. Together with the work of García-Dávila et al .…”

“…Together with the work of García-Dávila et al . [25], who used individual Sanger sequencing, this study allows the first assessment of the life cycle of several siluriform species analyzed together. Until now, the life cycle of only one species, B .…”

“…The technique has already been successfully used to identify adult siluriform species [21–23]. More recently this approach was extended to the identification of larvae [24,25] using individual Sanger sequencing. This approach is very reliable, but it can quickly become burdensome when several thousand larvae need to be identified.…”

Unmasking continental natal homing in goliath catfish from the upper Amazon

“…Although resident behaviour was not observed among the 18 B. rousseauxii from the upper Madeira analysed in Duponchelle et al (2016), it is likely that a larger sample size would have revealed this behaviour in some individuals as well. Indeed, this species is known to spawn both during the highest river discharge (high-water season) and during the receding waters (dry season), including within the same river basin (García-Vasquez et al, 2009;Cañas & Pine, 2011;Van Damme et al, 2011;Agudelo et al, 2013;Cella-Ribeiro et al, 2015;García-Dávila et al, 2015;Barthem et al, 2017). Reproducing during the receding water period, when the river returns to its natural bed, probably reduces the risk of eggs and larvae being lost in the adjacent floodplains and therefore maximises their chances to reach the estuarine nursery area thousands of km downstream (García-Vasquez et al, 2009).…”

The Research Network on Amazonian Ichthyofauna

“…Such studies are fundamental to providing a qualitative basis for fisheries management (Duponchelle et al., ; García‐Vásquez et al., ). Nevertheless, there is still a huge gap in knowledge regarding these highly diverse fish populations, with little known of the breeding sites of most of the migratory species (Duponchelle et al., ; García‐Dávila et al., ). Such information is essential to define appropriate management strategies.…”