Abstract
Biological invasion by non-native species has been identified as one of the major threats to native fish communities worldwide. The fish community of San Francisco Estuary is no exception, as the estuary has been recognized as one of the most invaded on the planet and the system has been impacted significantly by these invasions. Here, we summarize the introduction and probable establishment of a new species in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, the Bluefin Killifish (Lucania goodei), as discovered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service Delta Juvenile Fish Monitoring Program (DJFMP). The DJFMP has conducted a large-scale beach seine survey since 1976, and it is the longest-running monitoring program in the San Francisco Estuary that extensively monitors the shallow-water nearshore habitat. Possibly introduced as discarded aquarium fish within the vicinity of the Delta Cross Channel, Bluefin Killifish is a close relative of the Rainwater Killifish (Lucania parva), another non-native fish species that has been present in the San Francisco Estuary system for decades. Studies in their native range suggest that Bluefin Killifish will fill a similar niche to Rainwater Killifish, albeit with a more freshwater distribution. The potential ecological impact of Bluefin Killifish remains unclear in the absence of additional studies. However, we have been able to track the spread of the species within the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta through the existence of long-term monitoring programs. Our findings demonstrate the value of monitoring across various habitats for the early detection and proactive management of invasive species.
Highlights
Introduction of Bluefin KillifishLucania goodei into the Sacramento–San Joaquin DeltaBrian Mahardja,1 Andrew Goodman,1 Alisha Goodbla,2 Andrea D
The Delta Juvenile Fish Monitoring Program (DJFMP) distinguished the original killifish specimens collected in 2017 from Rainwater Killifish, and visually identified them as Bluefin Killifish based on the conspicuous dark lateral stripe on the fish that extends from the snout to the tail (Figures 3 and 4)
The final alignment for the between-group mean pair-wise genetic distance analysis was 571 base pairs, and the analysis showed that the unknowns were more similar to the Bluefin Killifish than the Rainwater Killifish (Table 4)
Summary
Introduction of Bluefin KillifishLucania goodei into the Sacramento–San Joaquin DeltaBrian Mahardja, Andrew Goodman, Alisha Goodbla, Andrea D. We summarize the introduction and probable establishment of a new species in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, the Bluefin Killifish (Lucania goodei), as discovered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service Delta Juvenile Fish Monitoring Program (DJFMP). The Central Valley-endemic Sacramento Perch (Archoplites interruptus) was extirpated from the Delta largely from a combination of habitat degradation and interaction with invasive Centrarchid fish species (Marchetti 1999; Crain and Moyle 2011). San Joaquin Delta Successful invasion often occurs when there is a close match between the invading species’ original and new environments (Moyle and Marchetti 2006). The conditions where Bluefin Killifish were originally found in this study (i.e., warm, low water velocity, shallow, freshwater habitat) likely played a key role in the species’ persistence within the Delta. Pers. observation), and (3) subsequent catches were near the DCC (Figure 2, Table 1)
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