Abstract
Bathygobius soporator (popularly known as "Maria da toca") is a species that, although abundant, is little studied in aspects regarding growth, feeding and reproduction in southern Brazil. Studies on trophic ecology still raise questions on the species’ actual diet, especially in the context of algae participating as a food resource or an accidental intake. Thus, this study aims to fill this gap, evaluating the growth, feeding, and reproduction of this species. Monthly samples from two periods (1997-1998 and 2005-2006) were analyzed for growth, feeding, and reproduction parameters, totalizing 1177 individuals evaluated. Our results demonstrate that Bathygobius soporator is a species of fast development, reaching the age of first maturation before the first year of life. It presents a sexual dimorphism, being males larger than females. Reproductive peaks occur in the spring and summer months. The species presented a broad trophic spectrum, including algae as the main food resource, not just an accidental intake. The omnivorous-opportunistic trophic ecology of this species is emphasized, agreeing with the information of previous studies.
Highlights
Estuarine environments are known to be environments with high habitat heterogeneity and, they have a great diversity of fish species (Paiva et al, 2008) that seek protection and nesting areas
A total of 528 fish were collected during the 1997‐1998 period (Figs. 2A‐2F), with males represented by 38.8% and females by 61.2% of individuals
Bathygobius soporator proved to be an abundant species in the Santa Catarina estuarine environment
Summary
Estuarine environments are known to be environments with high habitat heterogeneity and, they have a great diversity of fish species (Paiva et al, 2008) that seek protection and nesting areas. Among these fishes, the family Gobiidae is represented by about 240 genera and more than 2000 species (Nelson et al, 2016), contributing to the greatest diversity among tropical and subtropical marine fishes (Zanlorenzi & de Tarso Chaves, 2011). Abundant on the Brazilian coast, studies involving the population dynamics of this species in natural environments are scarce, mostly due to the difficulties of its sampling with conventional fishing artifacts (Kovacic, 2007).
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