Spanish toothcarp

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Spanish toothcarp
Aphanius iberus.png
Male toothcarp (top) and female toothcarp (bottom)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Aphaniidae
Genus: Apricaphanius
Species:
A. iberus
Binomial name
Apricaphanius iberus
(Valenciennes, 1846)
Mapaespana-fartet.jpg
Distribution of Aphanius Iberus in Spain
Synonyms [2]
  • Aphanius iberius(Valenciennes, 1846)
  • Aphanius iberus(Valenciennes, 1846)
  • Cyprinodon ibericus(Steindachner, 1865)
  • Cyprinodon iberusValenciennes, 1846
  • Lebias ibera(Valenciennes, 1846)
  • Lebias ibericusSteindachner, 1865
  • Lebias iberus(Valenciennes, 1846)
Fartets in their natural habitat. Peces barr.JPG
Fartets in their natural habitat.

The Spanish toothcarp (Apricaphanius iberus), also known as the Spanish toothcarp or Iberian killifish , [3] [4] is a small, endemic species of fish in the family Aphaniidae. Its risk of extinction is one of the greatest of any Iberian vertebrate. Its limited range, coupled with the drastic population decline the species has suffered in the last two decades, has caused it to be placed on endangered species lists, both in Spain and internationally. In addition, habitat fragmentation, likely due to humans, has resulted in this species becoming increasingly stagnant and has led to increased genetic drift. Also found to be contributing to their endangerment was genetic diversity of mitochondrial DNA. The mitochondrial DNA coupled with A. iberus’s geographic distribution has been able to affect their population genetic structure gradually in different spaces. Its conservation status in the south of the Iberian peninsula has notably worsened.

Contents

A similar fish in the peninsula's south-west has been classified as an independent species, Apricaphanius baeticus . Apricaphanius saourensis is another similar species in Algeria.

Description

Morphology

This is a small fish, rarely more than 5 centimeters (2.0 in) in length. Females are longer than males of the same age. It has an oblong body and rounded fins. Its dorsal fin is underdeveloped with respect to the fish's girth. It has large scales, numbering 20 to 26 across the body at its widest point.

It has obvious sexual dimorphism. The males are marked with bluish to silver-colored vertical stripes on the flanks and dark bands on the caudal fin. The females are generally greenish-brown with dark blotches distributed irregularly over their bodies; their fins are transparent and mostly unpatterned. Some populations, most notably those in Murcia, [5] have short, dark stripes as opposed to blotches.

Reproduction

The lifespan of a Spanish toothcarp is short. They reach sexual maturity at age three months. The females spawn repeatedly each season, producing from 100 to 900 eggs. [6] Toothcarps in the Murcia region tend to spawn between April and August, while more northerly populations, such as those in the Delta del Ebro, lay their eggs between May and August. Spawning is usually done in areas with nearby vegetation, which shelters the eggs.

Hatchlings emerge approximately eight days after the eggs are laid. Females that hatch in April are able to reproduce in June.

While the females spawn, adult males set up small territories that they defend from other males in ritualized combats through which they court the females.

Behavior

The Spanish toothcarp is an omnivore, and eats insects, crustaceans, worms and algae. Generally, toothcarps travel in small groups, staying near underwater vegetation, where they normally go unnoticed.

The biology of the Spanish toothcarp is characterized by a high growth rate, early maturity, a high reproductive rate, multiple periods of egg-laying and a short lifespan. From an evolutionary ecology point of view, this lifestyle is highly adaptive for fish that live in unstable environments, such as estuaries, where unpredictable conditions increase mortality. This strategy allows the toothcarp to exploit environmentally favorable conditions during the short intervals in which they occur, thereby revitalizing the population. [7] [8]

Habitat

Spanish toothcarp inhabit shallow, slow-moving bodies of water such as river-mouths, coastal lakes, and ponds. They occur in saline and fresh water alike, due to their ability to tolerate high levels of salinity: they are euryhaline. The Spanish toothcarp can tolerate temperatures of 10–32 °C (50–90 °F), and pH levels between 6.5 and 7.5.

Despite their adaptability, they have been displaced by invasive species, such as both species of mosquitofish, [9] introduced from North America to Spain in 1921 by doctor Sadí de Buen Lozano in an attempt to control malarial mosquitoes. [10] The toothcarp has retreated to high salinity areas where the mosquitofish cannot live.

Distribution

The Spanish toothcarp is characteristic of the Iberian peninsula, and extends from the Aigüamolls of Alt Empordà to Lake Adra in Almería. In the last two decades, the Spanish toothcarp has suffered a severe decline, [11] due in part to destruction of suitable habitats. Only a few dozen isolated populations are known.

They have been found in the alluvial plain of the Segura River, the Chicamo River in Abanilla, the wetlands surrounding the Mar Menor and Valencian Community (more specifically in the Parc Natural el Fondo, and in the Parc Natural de l'Albufera with its springs), the Parque Natural del Delta del Ebro in Tarragona, and the Albufera de Adra and the Adra River.

Divergence between populations

Phylogenetic relationships and genetic divergence have been observed in Iberian populations of Apricaphanius iberus by using isozymes along with the complete genetic sequence of chromosome B. The results for nuclear genes were consistent with those for mitochondria, and demonstrated that the Atlantic and Mediterranean toothcarp populations derive from separate lineages. The level of genetic divergence shows that they were isolated early and that gene flow has not occurred. The divergence between these two monophyletic clades is the same as that found between other species of pupfish. This discovery makes it necessary to separate the Atlantic and Mediterranean populations in order to protect their diversity and genetic identities. [12]

Molecular analysis, together with morphometric data, has taxonomic implications. In fact, the populations of the Atlantic basin are so different from those in Europe that they have been recognized as a separate species, Apricaphanius baeticus. The species name Apricaphanius iberus is limited to populations that live in the Mediterranean. [13]

Conservation status

Despite being distributed over a large area on the peninsula, the Spanish toothcarp is largely found in small, threatened areas. Because of this, the Spanish Ministero de Medio Ambiente lists it as an endangered species. [14]

Among the threats are: [15]

Vernacular names

This fish is known as fartet or peixet de sequiol in Spanish and Catalan (the latter sometimes uses the diminutive fartonet).

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyprinodontiformes</span> Order of fishes

Cyprinodontiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising mostly small, freshwater fish. Many popular aquarium fish, such as killifish and live-bearers, are included. They are closely related to the Atheriniformes and are occasionally included with them. A colloquial term for the order as a whole is toothcarps, though they are not actually close relatives of the true carps – the latter belong to the superorder Ostariophysi, while the toothcarps are Acanthopterygii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mummichog</span> Species of fish

The mummichog is a small killifish found along the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada. Also known as Atlantic killifish, mummies, gudgeons, and mud minnows, these fish inhabit brackish and coastal waters including estuaries and salt marshes. The species is noted for its hardiness and ability to tolerate highly variable salinity, temperature fluctuations from 6 to 35 °C, very low oxygen levels, and heavily polluted ecosystems. As a result, the mummichog is a popular research subject in embryological, physiological, and toxicological studies. It is also the first fish ever sent to space, aboard Skylab in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mediterranean killifish</span> Species of fish

The Mediterranean killifish, Mediterranean banded killifish or South European toothcarp is a species of fish in the family Aphaniidae. It is found in Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Montenegro, Slovenia, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey. Its natural habitats are saline lakes, saline marshes, and coastal saline lagoons.

<i>Anatolichthys transgrediens</i> Species of fish

Anatolichthys transgrediens, the Acı Göl toothcarp or Acipinar killifish, is a species of freshwater fish in the family Aphaniidae. It is endemic to the springs of Lake Acıgöl in Turkey. It is threatened by a reduction in rainfall from climate change, and the abstraction of water from the springs. The introduction of the non-native eastern mosquitofish also threatens this species.

Esmaeilius vladykovi is a species of killifish in the family Aphaniidae endemic to a restricted area of the central Zagros Mountains of Iran. It can also be found in the aquarium trade. Its specific name honours the zoologist Vadim D. Vladykov (1898-1986) who studied the fishes of the Caspian basin and the person who accepted the species author, Brian W. Coad, as a graduate student.

The Natural Park of El Fondo is located within the municipal boundaries of Elche and Crevillent both of which are within the comarca (district) of Baix Vinalopó in the south of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. Both the rivers Vinalopó and Segura discharge into the lagoons that form this park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ebro</span> River in the Iberian Peninsula

The Ebro is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain. It rises in Cantabria and flows 930 kilometres (580 mi), almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a delta in the Terres de l'Ebre region, in southern Catalonia. In the Iberian peninsula, it ranks second in length after the Tagus and second in discharge volume, and drainage basin, after the Douro. It is the longest river entirely within Spain; the other two mentioned flow into Portugal. It is also the second-longest river in the Mediterranean basin, after the Nile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf killifish</span> Species of fish

The Gulf killifish is one of the largest members of the genus Fundulus; it is capable of growing up to 7 inches (18 cm) in length, whereas the majority of other Fundulus reach a maximum length of 4 inches (10 cm). Therefore, F. grandis is among the largest minnows preyed upon by many sport fish, such as flounder, speckled trout, and red drum. Fundulus derives from the Latin meaning "bottom," and grandis means "large". The Gulf killifish is native to the Gulf of Mexico from Texas to Florida and the eastern coast of Florida and the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean. Threats to the survival of the Gulf killifish include extreme changes in salinity, changes in temperatures, and toxic events such as the hypoxic dead zone in Louisiana and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Gulf killifish is currently being used to test the effects of oil and oil dispersants on the physiology of marine species affected by these substances. This is significant to conservation biology, because with the continued extraction of oil and other natural resources from North American waters, it has become increasingly important to understand the risks and consequences in worst-case scenarios, such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the lasting effects on the marine ecosystem.

<i>Anatolichthys danfordii</i> Species of fish

Anatolichthys danfordii, the Kızılırmak toothcarp or Sultan Sazlığı toothcarp, is a species of killifish belonging to the family Aphaniidae. It is endemic to the Kızılırmak River and the upper Seyhan River drainage systems and is now restricted to a few locations in the Sultan Sazlığı marshes. Though little data is available, the population of the fish seems to be declining. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being "critically endangered" and fears it may become extinct in the wild if the drainage of the marshes continues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arabian toothcarp</span> Species of fish

The Arabian toothcarp, known also as the Arabian toothcarp or mother-of-Pearl fish is a species of killifish belonging to the family Aphaniidae. It can be found from the shores of the Red Sea south to Ethiopia, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and along the Persian Gulf east to Pakistan and India. It is also found in the Suez Canal, the northern coast of the Sinai Peninsula, and in one location on the Palestinian coast. The former recognized subspecies: A. d. richardsoni, the Dead Sea toothcarp endemic to the Dead Sea has now been raised to a full species as Aphaniops richardsoni.

<i>Fundulus luciae</i> Species of fish

Fundulus luciae, the spotfin killifish, is a member of the genus Fundulus. This hardy fish is notable for spending its entire life in sporadically flooded salt marsh habitat, sheltering in shallow pools, puddles, and small tidal rivulets. It closely resembles the mummichog in shape and coloration, but the two species can be distinguished by dorsal fin ray count: 8–9 in the spotfin versus 11–12 in the mummichog. Additionally, the dorsal fin of F. luciae originates farther back, and slightly behind the anal fin origin; in the mummichog, the dorsal fin begins anteriorly to the anal fin origin. The spotfin killifish is named for the pronounced ocellus found on the posterior dorsal fin of adult males. It is a small fish, seldom attaining 50 millimetres (2.0 in) in total length. Its distribution extends along the U.S. east coast from Massachusetts to Georgia.

<i>Alloteuthis media</i> Species of squid

Alloteuthis media, the midsize squid or little squid, is a species of squid in the family Loliginidae from the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. It is generally a by-catch species in trawl fisheries, although there is an active fishery in the western Mediterranean.

The Farsi toothcarp is a species of pupfish belonging to the family Aphaniidae. It is endemic to the Maharloo Lake Basin in Iran, residing in springs, lagoons, and marshes containing fresh to brackish water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Almiri toothcarp</span> Species of fish

The Almiri toothcarp or Almiri killifish is a species of pupfish belonging to the family Aphaniidae. It can be found in a handful of brackish springs and marshes in the Peloponnese, Greece. Due to one of the springs being dammed up with rocks in the late 1990s to early 2000s, the IUCN considers the fish to be critically endangered on criteria B1ab and B2ab ; it is possibly extinct at its type locality.

The Lake Afdera killifish is a species of fish in the family Aphaniidae. It is found in Lake Afdera in Ethiopia. The species was evaluated by the IUCN on 1 May 2009 and listed as endangered on the Red List.

Esmaeilius sophiae, the Soffia toothcarp, is a species of killifish belonging to the family Aphaniidae. It is native to Iran and Iraq which includes the Kor River basin of the Fars Province in Iran, Namak lake and Tigris River basin. They are one of the subclades of the Inland and Inland-related Aphanius Species (IIRAS) and they are part of the richest of the 3 subclades. They can be found in freshwater but also occur in saline water.

Apricaphanius saourensis, the Sahara aphanius or Sahara killifish, is a species of freshwater pupfish belonging to the family Aphaniidae. It is endemic to the Oued Saoura river basin in Algeria. The species is threatened by water pollution and water withdrawal for agricultural use. It was last observed in the wild in 2003. Later surveys have not encountered the species, although a captive population exists; it was last evaluated by the IUCN 2021 and listed as critically endangered, possibly extinct in the wild.

<i>Apricaphanius</i> Genus of fishes

Apricaphanius is a genus of killifishes in the family Aphaniidae, which are native to northern Africa and southern Europe. All species in the genus have very small distributions and are seriously threatened.

<i>Aphaniops</i> Genus of fishes

Aphaniops is a genus of killifishes in the family Aphaniidae, which are native to Western Asia and Northeast Africa. Several species in the genus have very limited distribution and may be threatened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aphaniidae</span> Family of fishes

Aphaniidae, the Oriental killifishes, are a family of the order Cyprinodontiformes. The 42 extant species of the family inhabit inland waters, rivers and lagoons. The distribution of these species extends from the entire Mediterranean region throughout the neighboring states of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. Several species in this family have very small distributions and are seriously threatened.

References

  1. ↑ Crivelli, A.J. (2006). "Aphanius iberus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2006: e.T1846A8299534. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2006.RLTS.T1846A8299534.en .
  2. ↑ Bailly, Nicolas (2023). "Apricaphanius iberus (Valenciennes, 1846)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species.
  3. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2024). "Apricaphanius iberus" in FishBase . April 2024 version.
  4. ↑ "'Aphanius iberus'". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  5. ↑ "Enclave Ambiental- Fartet (Aphanius iberus). Familia Cyprinodontidae - Región de Murcia Digital". Regmurcia.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "Fartet". Mediterranea.org. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  7. ↑ Vargas, M.J.; De Sostoa, A. 1997. Life-history pattern of the Iberian toothcarp Aphanius iberus (Pisces, Cyprinodontidae) from a Mediterranean estuary, the Ebro Delta (Spain). Netherlands Journal of Zoology 47, no. 2, pp. 143-160.
  8. ↑ Gonzalez, E. G. (2018). "Phylogeography and Population Genetic Analyses in the Iberian Toothcarp (Aphanius iberus Valenciennes, 1846) at Different Time Scales". The Journal of Heredity. 109 (3): 253–263.
  9. ↑ Alcaraz, C; García-Berthou, E (2007). "Life history variation of invasive mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) along a salinity gradient". Biological Conservation. 139 (1–2): 83–92. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2007.06.006.
  10. ↑ De Buen, E. “Estudio experimental de algunas sustancias larvicidas antianofélica”. Tesis doctoral. Medicina de los Países Cálidos. 1929. Tomo II. en Fernández Astasio, B. (2002)
  11. ↑ (Moreno-Amich, R., M. Planelles, C. Fernández-Delgado y García-Berthou, E. (1999). Distribución Geográfica de los ciprinodontiformes en la Península ibérica. Pp 33-57, en Planelles, M. (Ed.). 'Peces Ciprinodóntidos Ibéricos: Fartet y Samaruc. Monografía. Generalitat Valenciana (Valencia).)
  12. ↑ Perdices, A., Carmona, J.; Carlos Fernández-Delgado & Ignacio Doadrio. 2001. Nuclear and mitochondrial data reveal high genetic divergence among Atlantic and Mediterranean populations of the Iberian killifish Aphanius iberus (Teleostei: Cyprinodontidae). Heredity 87 (3), 314–324. doi : 10.1046/j.1365-2540.2001.00888.x
  13. ↑ Doadrio, I; Carmona, J.A. & Fernández Delgado, C. 2002. Morphometric study of the Iberian Aphanius (Actinopterygii, Cyprinodontiformes), with description of a new species. Folia Zool. 51(1): 67–79
  14. ↑ [ dead link ]
  15. ↑ [ dead link ]
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