Early life history of tropical freshwater eels (Anguilla spp.) recruiting to Viti Levu, Fiji Islands, in the western South Pacific
C. A. Hewavitharane A E , T. D. Pickering B , C. Rico
C D and N. Mochioka A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Laboratory of Fisheries Biology, Division of Marine Bioresources, Department of Animal and Marine Bioresource Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
B Fisheries Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems (FAME) Division of the Pacific Community, 3 Luke Street, Nabua, Suva, Fiji Islands.
C School of Marine Studies, Faculty of Science, The University of the South Pacific, Laucala Bay Road, Suva, Fiji.
D Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía (ICMAN), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Campus Universitario Río San Pedro, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain.
E Corresponding author. Email: hewavitharane.anushka.chinthaka.341@m.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Marine and Freshwater Research 71(4) 452-460 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF19047
Submitted: 12 February 2019 Accepted: 30 May 2019 Published: 19 August 2019
Abstract
The oceanic early life histories of three species of tropical anguillid glass eels, namely Anguilla marmorata, Anguilla megastoma and Anguilla obscura, recruiting to Viti Levu, Fiji Islands, in the western South Pacific, were studied using otolith microstructures of 94 individuals. A. megastoma had the shortest leptocephalus duration, age at recruitment and metamorphosis stage (mean ± s.d. 104.7 ± 7.2, 141.3 ± 8.7 and 36.6 ± 8.5 days respectively), followed by A. marmorata (September–October recruitment peak: 113.0 ± 11.9, 115.1 ± 8.3 and 39.2 ± 11.1 days respectively; April recruitment peak: 152.2 ± 13.5, 154.0 ± 12.5 and 38.9 ± 10.1 days respectively) and A. obscura (118.0 ± 10.2, 168.4 ± 16.5 and 49.6 ± 12.5 days respectively). A. obscura also had the shortest oceanic glass eel duration of (12.2 ± 3.4 days), followed by both peaks of A. marmorata (23.3 ± 3.2 and 20.2 ± 3.3 days) and A. megastoma (20.7 ± 6.7 days). Otolith increment rates during the leptocephalus stage did not differ significantly among the three species, but there were significant differences between the leptocephalus duration and metamorphosis stage of A. megastoma compared with A. marmorata and A. obscura, as well as in the oceanic glass eel duration of A. obscura compared with A. marmorata and A. megastoma. There were also significant differences in the age at recruitment among all three species. Back-calculated hatch dates suggest separate peak seasonal spawning periods for each of the three species.
Additional keywords: glass eels, leptocephalus, metamorphosis, otolith, spawning.
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