Abstract
The La Plata croaker (Pachyurus bonariensis) family Sciaenidae, is a small (< 23 cm) benthopelagic fish that originated in the Parana- Paraguay-Uruguay river systems in South America. Its first record in the Patos Lagoon drainage area, Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) occurred in 2001. This research reports for the first time, the occurrence of both juvenile and adult specimens of P. bonariensis in the Sao Goncalo Channel (a 75 km long waterway between Patos and Mirim lagoon) and in the Mirim Lagoon, in 2005 and 2007 respectively. A total of 434 gonads were analyzed histologically from specimens captured by artisanal fishermen at Capilha, Mirim Lagoon between 2008 and 2010. Gonadal development was observed and described. Pachyurus bonariensis probably dispersed from northern Patos Lagoon in 2001 to the Sao Goncalo Channel by 2005. The occurrence of adults in limnic waters in the Sao Goncalo Channel and further south in the Mirim Lagoon in 2007, confirm that P. bonariensis is now an established species in Mirim Lagoon and could become a commercially important species to the artisanal fishermen of the area. Likewise at the limnetic northern parts of Patos Lagoon, P. bonariensis is now abundant at Mirin Lagoon and the ecological impacts of this range extension must be investigated.
Highlights
The introduction of alien aquatic organisms has intensified with the increase of global trade and human mobility in recent centuries (Gozlan 2008; Gozlan et al 2010)
The first occurrence of P. bonariensis in the Mirim Lagoon was reported in 2007, when several individuals were captured by artisanal fishers at Capão Alto beach, near the Taim Ecological Reserve
Sampling began with the early invasion of P. bonariensis in Mirim Lagoon, yet populations were not sufficient for intensive capture by local fishermen
Summary
The introduction of alien aquatic organisms has intensified with the increase of global trade and human mobility in recent centuries (Gozlan 2008; Gozlan et al 2010). The La Plata croaker (Pachyurus bonariensis Steindachner, 1879), popularly known in Brazil as “corvina-de-rio” or “Maria-luiza” (Figure 1), is a species associated with lentic ecosystems (Flores and Hirt 2002). It is most prolific in tropical water, especially those subject to human impacts (Agostinho et al 1993, Flores and Hirt 2002). It is a small (
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