Specimens of Puntius arulius, P. ticto, P. titteya, P. oligolepis, Nannostomus beckfordi, Poecilia latipinna, P. velifera, Trichogaster pectoralis, and Betta splendens were recorded in the largest ornamental aquaculture center in Brazil. These fishes were introduced in the study sites by accidental escape and intentional release. There is evidence that six species are reproducing. Measures are proposed to prevent further spread of ornamental exotic fishes in the region. Key words: Brazil, species introduction, exotic fishes, ornamental aquaculture.Exemplares de Puntius arulius, P. ticto, P. titteya, P. oligolepis, Nannostomus beckfordi, Poecilia latipinna, P. velifera, Trichogaster pectoralis e Betta splendens foram registrados no maior centro de piscicultura ornamental do Brasil. Estes peixes alcançaram os locais de estudo devido a fugas acidentais e liberação intencional. Há evidências de que seis espécies estejam se reproduzindo. Medidas são propostas para se prevenir futuras introduções de peixes ornamentais exóticos na região. Palavras-chave: Brasil, fugas, peixes exóticos, piscicultura ornamental

Jacobi, Claudia Maria

Magalhães, André Lincoln Barroso de

Unisinos (Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos): SEER Unisinos

Ornamental exotic fish introduced into Atlantic Forest water bodies, BrazilPeixes ornamentais exóticos introduzidos em corpos d’água na Mata Atlântica, BrasilAndré Lincoln Barroso de Magalhães1,2andrebio@terra.com.brClaudia Maria Jacobi3jacobi@icb.ufmg.brAbstractSpecimens of Puntius arulius, P. ticto, P. titteya, P. oligolepis, Nannostomus beckfordi, Poecilia latipinna, P. velifera, Trichogaster pectoralis, and Betta splendens were recorded in the largest ornamental aquaculture center in Brazil. These fishes were introduced in the study sites by accidental escape and intentional release. There is evidence that six species are reproducing. Measures are proposed to prevent further spread of ornamental exotic fishes in the region.Key words: Brazil, species introduction, exotic fishes, ornamental aquaculture.ResumoExemplares de Puntius arulius, P. ticto, P. titteya, P. oligolepis, Nannostomus beckfordi, Poecilia latipinna, P. velifera, Trichogaster pectoralis e Betta splendens foram registrados no maior centro de piscicultura ornamental do Brasil. Estes peixes alcançaram os locais de estudo devido a fugas acidentais e liberação intencional. Há evidências de que seis espécies estejam se reproduzindo. Medidas são propostas para se prevenir futuras intro-duções de peixes ornamentais exóticos na região.Palavras-chave: Brasil, fugas, peixes exóticos, piscicultura ornamental.1 Centro Universitário UNA, 30455-590, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. 2 Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Conservação e Manejo de Vida Silvestre, 31250-970, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. 3 Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.Neotropical Biology and Conservation3(2):73-77, may - august 2008© by Unisinos74 Volume 3 number 2 may - august 2008IntroductionAmong the twenty-seven Brazilian states, Minas Gerais is one of the largest. It is slightly bigger than France, with an area of 585528 km2 (IBGE, 2002). It is drained by thirteen different river basins, including two of the largest Brazilian basins, the São Francisco basin and the High Paraná basin, and contains more than 2000 small, medium, large and megadams (Alves et al., 2007). The native ichthyofauna in the state is estimated in 354 species, which represents approximately 12% of the total found in Brazil (McAllister et al., 1997). The native fish fauna includes some of Brazil´s most endangered species such as Matrinchã Brycon orbignyanus (Valenciennes), Andirá Henochilus weatlandii, Garman, Armored catfish Pogonopoma parahybae (Steindachner), Killifish Simpsonichthys zonatus (Costa and Brasil), Surubim Steindachneridion parahybae (Steindachner), Jaú Zungaro jahu (Ihering) (Fundação Biodiversitas, 2007). Furthermore, Minas Gerais ranks high in the list of states in number of fish introductions, with 69 detected exotic species already, more than 50 of which are ornamental (Alves et al., 2007; Magalhães, 2007a; Magalhães and Carvalho, 2007). The number of non-native species for the main river basins in the state is: 47 in Paraíba do Sul (Magalhães, 2007b; Magalhães and Carvalho, 2007), 30 in Doce, 20 in High Paraná, 16 in São Francisco, 12 in Mucuri, and 5 in Jequitinhonha (Alves et al., 2007). The high level of introductions in Paraíba do Sul is associated with an ornamental fish farming center, the largest in Brazil (Magalhães et al., 2002). The aims of this communication are: (i) to record the occurrence of exotic fishes in three creeks and in one dam of the Paraíba do Sul basin, (ii) to analyze evidence of reproduction and (iii) to propose guidelines to circumvent further introductions.Material and methodsFishes were collected monthly from January to December 2005 in four sites: (i) Santo Antônio creek (20o56’S and 42o17’W), Vieiras municipality, (ii) Pinheiros creek (20o51’S and 42o23’W), Miradouro municipality, (iii) Pratinha creek (20o57’S and 42o28’W), Muriaé municipality, Glória river sub-basin, and (iv) Maurício dam (21o23’S and 42o41’W), Itamarati de Minas municipality, Pinho river sub-basin (Figure 1). All sites belong to the Paraíba do Sul basin (length: 1080 km, drainage area: 55,400 km2), which is one of South America´s largest river systems (Lundberg et al., 1998) and drains part of Brazil’s southeast region including the States of São Paulo (drainage area: 13,500 km2), Minas Gerais (drainage area: 20,900 km2), and Rio de Janeiro (drainage area: 21,000 km2) (Pfeiffer et al., 1986). Specimens were captured with 0.5 cm-mesh sieves, killed by over-anaesthetization with ether, fixed in a 10% formalin solution, and preserved in 70% alcohol. Species identification was based on Nelson (1994) and Axelrod et al. (1998). Fish pictures and descriptions of colors on the websites Froese and Pauly (2006), FishIndex (2006), Badman’s Tropical Fish (2006), and Aquatic Community (2006) were used to confirm the fish species identification. In laboratory, all individuals were measured, adult females and males were dissected and their gonads checked for indications of reproductive activity. Fish were classified as rest, mature, spawned for females and spermiated for males (in oviparous species) according to Magalhães and Ratton (2005), and as gravid/non-gravid for females of viviparous species according to Milton and Arthington (1983). Voucher specimens used in this study Figure 1. Map showing the four study sites in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil: Pinheiros creek (PI), Santo Antônio creek (SA), Pratinha creek (PR), and Maurício dam.André Lincoln Barroso de Magalhães, Claudia Maria Jacobi75Neotropical Biology and ConservationOrnamental exotic fish introduced into Atlantic Forest water bodies, Brazilare deposited under their respective catalogue numbers (Table 1) in the Museum of Science and Technology (MCP), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.Results and discussionNine exotic species belonging to four families, native to four continents were captured, totaling 583 specimens (Table 1). The occurrence of alevins, juveniles and adults of the Arulius barb Puntius arulius (Jerdon), Ticto barb Puntius ticto (Hamilton), Checkered barb Puntius oligolepis (Bleeker), Golden pencilfish Nannostomus beckfordi Günther, Sailfin mollies Poecilia latipinna (Lesueur), and Poecilia velifera (Regan) was evidenced by the heterogeneity of the standard length. Puntius arulius, P. ticto, P. oligolepis and N. beckfordi females and males showed reproductive activity. The single male specimens of the Cherry barb Puntius titteya Deraniyagala and the Snakeskin gourami Trichogaster pectoralis (Regan), and the only female caught of the Siamese fighting fish Betta splendens Regan were with the gonads in rest. Most P. latipinna and P. velifera females were pregnant with developing embryos (Table 1). Species * N Family * Native range * Site Standard length (mm) Gonads of adult specimensOviparous Min. Max.Puntius aruliusArulius barbMCP 3900637 Cyprinidae India Pinheiros creek 35 72Ovaries: rest (26%), mature (56%), spawned (18%)Testes: rest (32%), mature (50%), spermiated (18%)Puntius tictoTicto barbMCP 3900514 CyprinidaeIndia, Thailand, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri-Lanka, Bangladesh, MyanmarPinheiros creek 22 54Ovaries: rest (20%), mature (70%), spawned (10%)Testes: rest (25%), mature (50%), spermiated (25%)Puntius titteyaCherry barbMCP 389981 Cyprinidae Sri Lanka Pinheiros creek  33 Rest testis (100%)Puntius oligolepis Checkered barbMCP 389994 Cyprinidae Sumatra, IndonesiaPinheiros creek 10 46Ovaries: mature (67%), spawned (33%) Mature testes (100%)Nannostomus beckfordiGolden pencilfishMCP 39000 167 Lebiasinidae Guyana, N BrazilMaurício dam 21 45Ovaries: rest (22%), mature (67%),spawned (11%)Testes: rest (32%), mature (39%),spermiated (29%)Trichogaster pectoralis Snakeskin gouramiMCP 389961 OsphronemidaeCambodia, Laos, Thailand, VietnamPinheiros creek 128 Rest testis (100%)Betta splendens Siamese fighting fishMCP 390011 OsphronemidaeLaos, Thailand, Cambodia, MalaysiaPratinha creek 40 Rest ovary (100%)ViviparousPoecilia latipinna Sailfin mollyMCP 3900824 Poeciliidae U.S.A., MexicoSanto Antônio creek8 61 Gravid (61%), non-gravid (39%)Poecilia veliferaSailfin mollyMCP 39003334 Poeciliidae MexicoSanto Antônio creek9 69 Gravid (52%), non-gravid (48%)Table 1. General data about the nine ornamental exotic fishes.* Scientific and common names; Family and Native range from Froese and Pauly (2006).76 Volume 3 number 2 may - august 2008André Lincoln Barroso de Magalhães, Claudia Maria JacobiThe region where these exotic fishes were recorded comprises 12 municipalities and has around 250 producers who breed approximately 60 different ornamental species, such as the Goldfish Carassius auratus (L.), Common carp Cyprinus carpio L., Common serpa tetra Hyphessobrycon eques (Steindachner), Guppy Poecilia reticulata Peters, P. velifera, Green swordtail Xiphophorus hellerii Heckel, Southern platyfish X. maculatus (Günther), Dwarf gourami Colisa lalia (Hamilton), Freshwater angelfish Pterophyllum scalare (Schultze), and Ram cichlid Mikrogeophagus ramirezi (Myers and Harry), in more than 3000 earthen and concrete ponds (Rasguido and Albanez, 2000; Vidal Júnior and Costa, 2000). Besides fish, there are small-scale cultures of ornamental plants, crustaceans, snails and frogs (Magalhães, personal observation). For 40% of these producers, this activity is the main source of income, which makes this region the largest ornamental aquaculture center in South America since the end of the 1970’s (Vidal Júnior and Costa, 2000), and the main source of plant, invertebrate, fish and frog introductions in the continent (Magalhães et al., 2002; Magalhães, 2006, 2007b). Paradoxically, the region where these exotic fish are grown is enclosed in an area of Atlantic Forest, a hotspot classified by the Brazilian Ministry of Environment (2000) as a priority for native fish conservation.The present study raised the number of exotic fish species to 56 (51 of which ornamental) for the basin, and to 78 in the state of Minas Gerais (before the present study: 47 for Paraíba do Sul basin, 69 for the state of Minas Gerais). For comparison purposes, 72 exotic fish species had been detected in Chinese inland waters (Ma et al., 2003). In the study area, the presence of adult individuals in the dam and in the three creeks can be due to: (i) accidental release during pond drainage, discharging water directly into adjacent water bodies (most of the ponds do not have protective screens in the effluent pipes to prevent escapes); (ii) heavy rains that often flood fish farms, flushing fishes into non-managed waters; (iii) disposal of specimens of low commercial value (undersized individuals of P. latipinna, P. velifera and B. splendens) into nearby creeks; and (iv) intentional release of commercially important species so that their offspring be collected for sale. The release of adult forms may have benefited representatives of fish families that display survival strategies such as uni-parental care (Poeciliidae, Osphronemidae), school formation (Lebiasinidae), and broad dietary habits (Cyprinidae, Lebiasinidae, Poeciliidae, Osphronemidae), considered important strategies for the survival of teleost species introduced into new habitats (Welcomme, 1988). The differences in standard length observed in P. arulius, P. ticto, P. oligolepis, N. beckfordi, P. latipinna and P. velifera, along with the presence of mature/spawned females, mature/spermiated males, and pregnancy attest that they are reproducing in the wild. Reproductive evidence in females and males of the exotic Sumatra barb Puntius tetrazona (Bleeker), C. carpio, Black tetra Gymnocorymbus ternetzi (Boulenger), Spotted metynnis Metynnis maculatus (Kner), M. ramirezi, Flag acara Laetacara curviceps (Ahl), P. scalare, X. maculatus, and X. hellerii have already been recorded in the region (Magalhães et al., 2002). Special attention should be given to P. latipinna and T. pectoralis, as they are considered pests in other countries (Froese and Pauly, 2006). The Sailfin molly competes for food with the native Milkfish Chanos chanos (Forsskål) in the Philippines (Juliano et al., 1989), and the Snakeskin gourami competes for reproductive sites with the native Three spot gourami Trichogaster trichopterus (Pallas) in Malaysia (Ang et al., 1989). According to Hilsdorf and Petrere Jr. (2002), one of the main threats to the Paraíba do Sul basin diversity is the presence of non-native fish species. Therefore, records of exotic fish are necessary to create a database for mitigatory purposes and the conservation of the native freshwater fauna. Also, studies of diet and reproduction overlap and relative density of all species are needed to assess the negative impacts upon native fish species in the region, such as the Twospot astyanax Astyanax bimaculatus (L.), Yellow tetra Hyphessobrycon bifasciatus Ellis, Armored catfishes Hypostomus affinis (Steindachner), Neoplecostomus microps (Steindachner), Parotocinclus maculicauda (Steindachner), Catfishes Rhamdioglanis transfaciatus Miranda Ribeiro, Trichomycterus spp., Pearl cichlid Geophagus brasiliensis (Quoy and Gaimard) (Magalhães, personal observation), and the endangered endemic P. parahybae (Fundação Biodiversitas, 2007). The release of exotic organisms is a federal offense according to Brazilian legislation and ornamental aquaculture in Brazil should be conducted strictly in accordance with specific regulations, control and effective inspections (Magalhães et al., 2002). Some immediate remedial measures to prevent further introductions from farm ponds should be: (i) to reroute all effluent waters from fish rearing facilities through an underground or above-ground dry well; (ii) to install adequate sand and gravel filter which will allow passage of water but not livestock; (iii) outdoor fish ponds located on floodable land should be diked; and (iv) to promote environmental awareness of those directly involved with ornamental fish farms. Otherwise, fish escapes out of most of the 3000 ponds will negatively change the native diversity scenario in the near future.AcknowledgementsThe authors thank fisherman Jorge Clementino de Farias for field assistance, Roberto Esser dos Reis (Museum of Science and Technology, 77Neotropical Biology and ConservationOrnamental exotic fish introduced into Atlantic Forest water bodies, BrazilPontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul) for the species catalogue number, Myrian M. Duarte for the drawing, the Graduate Program in Ecology, Conservation and Management of Wildlife (Federal University of Minas Gerais) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service for financial support.ReferencesALVES, C.B.M.; VIEIRA, F.; MAGALHÃES, A.L.B.; Brito, M.F.G. 2007. Impacts of non-native fish species in Minas Gerais, Brazil: present situation and prospects. In: T. M. BERT (ed.), Ecological and Genetic Implications of Aquaculture Activities. Dordrecht, Springer Press, p. 291-314. 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Peixes ornamentais exóticos introduzidos em corpos d’água na Mata Atlântica, Brasil

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Peixes ornamentais exóticos introduzidos em corpos d’água na Mata Atlântica, Brasil

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