Oceanic larval life of La Réunion 'bichiques', amphidromous gobiid post-larvae

Abstract

The 2 amphidromous gobiids Sicyopterus lagocephalus and Cotylopus acutipinnis from La Réunion Island (Mascarene archipelago, south-western Indian Ocean) are heavily exploited by traditional fisheries during their river colonisation. Traits of their oceanic larval life were investigated to better understand the complex life cycle of these fishes. Age estimates were established using otolith increment counts and an alizarin complexon validation method. Larval duration was longer for the widespread S. lagocephalus (133 to 266 d; mean 199 ± 33 d) than for the endemic C. acutipinnis (78 to 150 d; mean 101 ± 14 d), which reflects their distributional ranges. For both species, no correlation was established between age and size, suggesting a decrease in growth during the larval phase. From the back-calculated birth dates, all S. lagocephalus of a major colonisation episode (December 2002) were hatched during the cool season. All results are discussed in terms of the recruitment origins of S. lagocephalus and C. acutipinnis within the Mascarenes. Recognition of the differences in larval life traits is essential for proposing both management and conservation measures for each species. © Inter-Research 2007.