Peacock slime

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Peacock slime
Peacock fish (Salaria pavo)

Mars symbol (male)Peacock fish ( Salaria pavo )

Systematics
Ovalentaria
Order : Blennioidei (Blenniiformes)
Family : Slimy fish (Blenniidae)
Subfamily : Salariinae
Genre : Salaria
Type : Peacock slime
Scientific name
Salaria pavo
( Risso , 1810)

The peacock slime fish ( Salaria pavo ) belongs to the genus Salaria within the family of slime fish (Blenniidae). The species is found in the eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the western Black Sea.

It is a smaller, unscaled fish with a characteristic, gender-specific coloration.

The peacock slimy can be found on rocky ground in the intertidal zone. The males of the species inhabit small crevices or holes in the ground, which serve as nests. During the mating season, a nest is visited by various females who deposit their spawn there.

Appearance and characteristics

The peacock slimy has an elongated and laterally flattened body, the length of which is between 8 and 12 centimeters. It has a continuous dorsal fin ( dorsalis ). This has twelve hard rays and 22 soft rays , there is no notch in between. The anal fin ( analis ) consists of two hard rays, followed by 23–24 soft rays. The paired pectoral fins ( pectoralia ) consist of 14 soft rays and are short. Short here means that they do not reach two thirds of the length to the caudal fin. The paired pelvic fins ( ventralia ) have one hard and three soft rays and are throaty, i. H. the pelvic fins stand in front of the pectoral fins and approximately at the level of the throat.

The peacock slimy has short, unfringed tentacles over the eyes, which are shorter than the diameter of the eyes. He has a strong gender dimorphism . The males are yellow-green-green in color, have six to seven blue horizontal stripes or dots on the body and have a red-brown-black, blue-rimmed eye spot behind the eye. They are significantly larger than the females and wear a membranous crest on their head, which swells a lot during the mating season. The color of this crest is yellow-orange. The coloring of the females is dull green-brownish and their horizontal stripes, as well as their eye spot, are much more indistinct.

There is a risk of confusion with Salaria basilisca . This has clear blue vertical lines on the body with dark coloring in between, which are less pronounced in the peacock fish. In addition, Salaria basilisca lacks the eye spot. Furthermore, one can confuse the peacock slime fish with Aidablennius sphinx . However, Aidablennius sphinx has a clearly notched dorsal fin (dorsalis) and no crest.

Almost all slimy fish, including the peacock slimy, do not have a swim bladder . Their way of life is adapted accordingly (see habitat). Like all representatives of the slimy fish (Bleniidae) it has no scales. To protect themselves from dehydration, slimy fish have a large number of mucous cells on their skin. The mucus produced in this way keeps the skin moist, even if the nesting area falls dry during low tide.

Distribution area and habitat

The eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea belong to the distribution area of ​​the peacock slimy. Only on the North African coast in the eastern Mediterranean is this species not found. It is one of the most common slime fish (Bleniidae) in the Mediterranean.

Due to the lack of a swim bladder, the Salaria pavo habitat is substrate-oriented. Shallow water within the intertidal zone or flood pools with rocky subsoil are the habitat of Salaria pavo . The males inhabit small crevices, holes or rock tubes. Should these dry out at low tide, the males still do not leave them. Your mucous cells protect them from drying out. In contrast, the females are mostly free-swimming.

nutrition

The peacock slimy shows a generalistic diet. This means that the species can adapt its diet to the corresponding environmental conditions. Studies in the western Mediterranean found a more plant-based diet, whereas in the eastern Mediterranean near Israel a more animal-based diet.

Mating behavior

Mars symbol (male)Peacock slimy fish ( Salaria pavo ) with a yellowish colored crest that has swollen during the mating season. The eye spot relevant to the determination is also clearly visible.

The peacock slime fish is an oviparous species. The females lay eggs, which are fertilized by the males.

The spawning season is between May and July. The females lay their spawn in multiple nests and the males also accept spawn from multiple females in their nest. In general, the males court the females and try to lure them into their nests. The males show courtship behavior in a certain area around the nest, which is also territorially defended. Courtship includes a bright, glowing color, jerky swimming movements, or the attempt to chase the females into the nest. The females usually play a more passive role in courtship.

Venus symbol (female)Peacock slime fish ( Salaria pavo ) with a dull green-brownish color, weaker horizontal stripes and a more indistinct eye spot.

The males can vary in size and appearance. Males that have a nest are usually larger and correspondingly conspicuously colored. The membranous crest (top crest) swells strongly during the mating season and shows a yellow-orange color. Smaller males that do not have their own nest can look very similar to the females morphologically and then display a similar behavior. These are called "sneaker males". They try to sneak into another male's nest and fertilize the eggs that have already spawned there. In addition to the female behavior patterns, “sneaker males” also do not have a crest on their heads. Due to the visual similarity and female behavior patterns, it is difficult for nest-owning males to distinguish these "sneaker males" from real females.

Larger males that do not have a nest act as "floaters" and try to dispute their nests and hunt them down from the nesting males.

Oliveira et al. (2009) have shown that ecological framework conditions can cause a reversal of gender roles, as well as produce alternative reproductive tactics for males. Nests for the peacock slimy were scarce in the investigated area, and the competition for a nest between the males is correspondingly high. In Ria Formosa (Portugal), this scarcity of nesting opportunities led to changes in gender roles and reproductive tactics . As a result of the limited number of males with nests, the females now advertise for the males. At the height of the mating season, many “non-nesting floater males” can be found. It has been observed that smaller males cannot compete with larger males for nests. Correspondingly, there were changed reproductive tactics: morphologically, many of the smaller males are very similar to the females and also imitate the complex reproductive behavior of the females. So they can go into the nests of the males and fertilize the eggs already laid there - they act as "sneaker males".

Brood care

The males practice brood care , the length of which can vary. If the male guards the nest for several weeks, then several females can lay their eggs in the nest and the male then fertilizes them. This significantly increases the duration of brood care.

Brood care costs

The males' brood care increases their reproductive cost, which is reflected in reduced feeding opportunities. During the breeding season, males with nests show less food consumption and a correspondingly larger proportion of empty stomachs compared to females. Nesting males also lose weight during this time and do not grow. This is due, among other things, to the fact that the males cannot leave their nests without running the risk of a “floater” male or a “sneaker male” entering their nest and having to be expelled again, or the eggs were fertilized there unnoticed.

One way to make up for energy deficits due to decreased foraging opportunities is through breeding cannibalism. Breeding cannibalism has already been observed in other species (e.g. Oxylebius pictus Gill by DeMartini (1987); Gasterosteus aculeatus L. by FitzGerald (1991); Hypsypops rubicundus (Girard) by Sikkel (1994); also in FitzGerald (1992)) and also in the peacock mudfish proven. This behavior can be used for brood care by removing dead or diseased embryos from the nest. However, completely intact embryos were also consumed by the males, which speaks in favor of consumption as food.

Influence of environmental conditions

The salinity of sea water can vary depending on the area. It is possible, for example, that tide pools in the surf zone are separated from the rest of the sea at low tide and that, among other things, there is an increased salt content due to evaporation. The peacock slime fish is a euryhaline species. This means that it can tolerate fluctuations in the salt content ( salinity ) of the water. In contrast to this, sue can also manage with a reduced salinity. This is the case in the so-called brackish water zone. Here a river (fresh water) meets the salt water of the sea. The mixing of very salty sea water with the sweet river water creates areas with a greatly reduced salinity. This species can also inhabit polluted waters.

Taxonomy and systematics

Two synonyms are known of the peacock slime fish:

  • Blennius pavo Risso 1810 (protonym)
  • Lipophrys pavo ( Risso 1810)

The first description of the peacock slimy was in 1810 by Joseph Antoine Risso under the name Blennius pavo . Norman (1943) listed the Salaria species under the genus Blennius . This gave rise to the name Blennius pavo for the peacock slime fish. Bath (1977) advocated belonging to the genus Salaria , corresponding to the name Salaria pavo, which is used again today. Publications by Bock and Zander (1986) and Zander (1986) initially revised this affiliation and assigned the peacock slime to the genus Lipophrys , corresponding to the name Lipophrys pavo .

Recent molecular studies on the systematics of the mucous fish (Blenniidae) have shown that the peacock mucous fish belongs to the genus Salaria as a result of genetic similarities and should accordingly bear the scientific species name Salaria pavo .

Use and hazard

The peacock slime is not used commercially. Traditional fishing by smaller, non-commercial operations (pêche artisanale / artisanal fisheries) catches this species, so it can sometimes be found fresh at local fish markets. In the case of commercial fishing, it can only happen that it occurs as by-catch and is then sold accordingly at local fish markets.

Since the species is not used commercially, the development of the population is classified as stable and according to the IUCN Red List it is not endangered (LC = least concern).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Werner DeHass and Fredy Knorr: What lives in the sea on Europe's coasts? Albert Müller Verlag AG, Rüschlikon-Zurich 1990, ISBN 3-275-00977-X .
  2. ↑ a b c d e P. JP Whitehead et al. (Ed.): Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Vol. III. UNESCO, Paris 1986, ISBN 92-3002309-4 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Rupert Riedl: Fauna and flora of the Mediterranean . Seifert Verlag GmbH, Vienna 2011, ISBN 978-3-902406-60-6 .
  4. ↑ Martina Orlando-Bonaca and Lovrenc Lipej: A Modified Key for Rapid Determination of Blennioidea (Pisces: Perciformes) in the Adriatic Sea . In: Acta Adriatica . Vol. 51, 2010, ISSN  0001-5113 , pp. 55-65 .
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Volker Neumann and Thomas Paulus: Mediterranean Atlas Fish And Your Habitats . MERGUS Verlag GmbH, Melle 2005, ISBN 3-88244-061-9 .
  6. ^ A b Costas A. Papaconstantinou: The Secondary Sex Characteristics of the Genus Blennius of the Mediterranean Sea (Pisces: Blenniidae) . In: Thalassographica . Vol. 3, No. 1, 1979, p. 57-75 .
  7. ↑ a b Patrick Louisy: Guide d'identification des Poissons Marins . Eugen Ulmer KG, Paris 2015, ISBN 978-2-84138-651-2 .
  8. ↑ Mate Santic et al .: The Diet of Peacock blenny, Salaria Pavo (Blenniidae) in the Eastern Adriatic Sea . In: Cybium . Vol. 31, No. 1, 2007, p. 51-57 .
  9. ^ RN Gibson: The food and feeding relationships of littoral fish in the Banyuls region . In: Vie Milieu . Vol. 19, 1968, pp. 447-456 .
  10. ↑ Lev Fish Elson: Observation on Littoral Fishes of Israel. I. Behavior of Blennius Pavo Risso (Teleostei, Blenniida) . In: Israel Journal of Ecology and Evolution . Vol. 12, No. 1-4, 1963, pp. 67-80 , doi : 10.1080 / 00212210.1963.10688172 .
  11. ^ A b W. Fischer et al .: Fiches FAO D'identification Des Espèces Pour Les Besoins De La Pêche. (Revision 1). Mediterranee Et Mer Noire. Zone De Pêche 37 . Vol. II. FAO et la Commission des Communautés Européennes, Rome 1987.
  12. ^ JL Saraiva et al .: The Effect of Nest Aggregation on the Reproductive Behavior of the Peacock Blenny Salaria Pavo . In: Journal of Fish Biology . Vol. 74, no. 4, 2009, p. 754-762 , doi : 10.1111 / j.1095-8649.2008.02153.x .
  13. ^ Robert Patzner: The Reproduction of Blennius Pavo (Teleostei, Blenniidae). I. Ovarial Cycle, Environmental Factors and Feeding . In: Helgoland Marine Research . Vol. 36, 1983, pp. 105-114 , doi : 10.1007 / BF01995800 .
  14. ↑ a b c d Rui F. Oliveira et al .: Temporal Variation in Male Traits, Nesting Aggregations and Mating Success in the Peacock Blenny . In: Journal of Fish Biology . Vol. 54, No. 3, 1999, p. 499-512 , doi : 10.1111 / j.1095-8649.1999.tb00631.x .
  15. ↑ a b c d Emanuel Gonçalves and Vítor Almada: Sex Differences in Resource Utilization by the Peacock Blenny . In: Journal of Fish Biology . Vol. 51, 1997, pp. 624-633 , doi : 10.1111 / j.1095-8649.1997.tb01517.x .
  16. ^ Rui F. Oliveira et al .: Alternative Reproductive Tactics in Blennies . In: Robert A. Patzner (Ed.): The Biology of Blennies . CRC Press, Florida 2009, ISBN 978-1-4398-4304-8 , pp. 279-308 .
  17. ^ Vitor C. Almada et al .: Breeding Ecology and Nest Aggregations in a Population of Salaria Pavo (Pisces: Blenniidae) in an Area Where Nest Sites Are Very Scarce. In: Journal of Fish Biology . Vol. 45, No. 5, 1994, pp. 819-830 , doi : 10.1111 / j.1095-8649.1994.tb00947.x .
  18. ↑ Emanuel J. Gonçalves et al .: Female Mimicry as a Mating Tactic in Males of the Blenniid Fish Salaria Pavo . In: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom . Vol. 76, no. 2, 1996, p. 529-538 , doi : 10.1017 / S0025315400030721 .
  19. ↑ EE DeMartini: Paternal defense, cannibalism and polygamy: factors influencing the reproductive success of painted greenling (Pisces: Hexagrammidae) . In: Animal Behavior . Vol. 35, 1987, pp. 1145-1158 .
  20. ^ GJ FitzGerald: The role of cannibalism in the reproductive ecology of the threespine stickleback . In: Ethology . Vol. 89, 1991, pp. 177-194 .
  21. ↑ PC Sikkel: Filial cannibalism in a parent-caring marine fish: the influence of egg developmental stage and position in the nest . In: Animal Behavior . Vol. 47, 1994, pp. 1149-1158 .
  22. ↑ GJ FitzGerald: Filial cannibalism in fishes: why do parents eat their offspring? In: Trends in Ecology and Evolution . Vol. 7, 1992, pp. 7-10 .
  23. ↑ JR Norman: Notes on the Blennioid fishes - I. A provisional synopsis of the genera of the family Blenniidae . In: Annals and Magazine of Natural History . Vol. 72, 1943, pp. 793-812 .
  24. ^ H. Bath: Revision of the Blenniini (Pisces: Blenniidae) . In: Senckenbergiana Biologica . Vol. 57, 1977, pp. 167-234 .
  25. ^ A b Frederico Almada et al .: Phylogenetic Relationships of the North-Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Blenniids . In: Biological Journal of the Linnean Society . Vol. 86, 2005, pp. 283-295 , doi : 10.1111 / j.1095-8312.2005.00519.x .
  26. ↑ a b V.C. Almada et al .: Phylogenetic Analysis of Peri-Mediterranean Blennies of the Genus Salaria: Molecular Insights on the Colonization of Freshwaters . In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . Vol. 53, no. 2, 2009, p. 424-432 , doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2009.03.029 .
  27. ↑ Maja Bock and CD Zander: Osteological Characters as Tool for Blenniid Taxonomy - a Generic Revision of European Blenniidae (Percomorphi; Pisces) . In: Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research . Vol. 24, No. 2, 1986, p. 138-143 , doi : 10.1111 / j.1439-0469.1986.tb00622.x .
  28. ↑ CD Zander: Blenniidae: Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean . Ed .: Whitehead, PJP, Bauchot, M.-L., Hureau, J.-C., Nielsen, J., Tortonese, E. UNESCO, Paris 1986, ISBN 92-3002309-4 , pp. 1096-1112 .
  29. ^ Antonio Di Natale et al .: Salaria pavo . In: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014 ( iucnredlist.org [accessed November 28, 2018]).

Web links

Commons : Peacock Mucusfish ( Salaria pavo )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files