Abstract
The ornamental discus fish Symphysodon aequifasciatus Pellegrin, 1904, is a popular endemic cichlid species from the Amazon basin, however scientific information concerning biology and ecology in its natural habitat is scarce despite its importance on the international aquarium trade. In this study we evaluated reproductive parameters of S. aequifasciatus in natural habitat in Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS-PP), lower Purus River, Brazilian Amazon. Males are more frequent in the larger size classes and this might be related to the complex breeding behavior known for S. aequifasciatus. Values of L50 for both sexes corresponded to more than 60% of the maximum attained length which may indicate that energy allocation for somatic growth takes longer in S. aequifasciatus than in other species. Average fecundity for female discus was 1490, ranging from 950 to 1892 oocytes and its correlations with standard length and total weight were very low, probably due to the highly compressed discus' body shape. Egg size distribution showed four types of patterns, indicating one to four modes besides the reserve oocytes group. Our results indicate that S. aequifasciatus shows total spawning, in the beginning of flooding period, with the peculiar capacity of releasing multiple egg batches as a strategy that potentially enhances reproductive success.
Highlights
The ornamental discus fish Symphysodon aequifasciatus Pellegrin, 1904, is a popular endemic cichlid species from the Amazon basin, scientific information concerning biology and ecology in its natural habitat is scarce despite its importance on the international aquarium trade
In this study we evaluated reproductive parameters of S. aequifasciatus in natural habitat in Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS-PP), lower Purus River, Brazilian Amazon
Our results indicate that S. aequifasciatus shows total spawning, in the beginning of flooding period, with the peculiar capacity of releasing multiple egg batches as a strategy that potentially enhances reproductive success
Summary
Reproductive and population parameters of discus fish Symphysodon aequifasciatus Pellegrin, 1904 (Perciformes: Cichlidae) from Piagaçu-Purus. The ornamental discus fish Symphysodon aequifasciatus Pellegrin, 1904, is a popular endemic cichlid species from the Amazon basin, scientific information concerning biology and ecology in its natural habitat is scarce despite its importance on the international aquarium trade. In this study we evaluated reproductive parameters of S. aequifasciatus in natural habitat in Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS-PP), lower Purus River, Brazilian Amazon. Os machos são mais frequentes em classes de comprimento maiores, o que provavelmente está relacionado com o complexo comportamento reprodutivo de S. aequifasciatus. Symphysodon aequifasciatus apresenta desova total para o período reprodutivo, com a peculiaridade de liberar mais de um lote de ovócitos quando necessário, como uma estratégia que possivelmente aumenta a probabilidade de sucesso reprodutivo
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