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Prima segnalazione di Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842) in acque interne italiane, (Osteichthyes: Cobitidae)

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First record of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842) in Italian inland watercourses. (Osteichthyes: Cobitidae). The authors report the presence of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus in some watercourses of the province of Pavia (north Italy). The species was formerly distributed in the Far East: from the Tugur (China, C.I.S.) to the Irrawaddi (Myanmar) catchment area, it has been already introduced in the United States, Mexico, Palau, Australia and Germany. Various hypotheses are presented in order to explain the presence of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus in Italy.
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EDOARDO RAZZETTI, PIETRO ANGELO NARDI,
SILVIA
STROSSELLI, FRANCO BERNINI
PRIMA
SEGNALAZIONE
DI
MISGURNUS
ANGUILLICAUDATUS
(CANTOR, 1842)
IN ACQUE INTERNE ITALIANE
(OSTEICHTHYES: COBITIDAE)
ESTRATTO
dagli
ANNALI
del
MUSEO CIVICO
di
STORIA NATURALE
"G.
DORIA"
Voi.
XCIII
- 3
OTTOBRE
2000
GENOVA
DE FERRARI
EDITORE
2001
559
EDOARDO
RAZZETTIO,
PIETRO
ANGELO
NARDI ('),
SILVIA
STROSSELLI(2), FRANCO BERNINI
O
PRIMA
SEGNALAZIONE DI
MISGURNUS
ANGUILLICAUDATUS
(CANTOR, 1842)
IN ACQUE INTERNE ITALIANE
(OSTEICHTHYES:
COBITIDAE)
INTRODUZIONE
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
(Cantor,
1842),
noto
con il
nome
comune
di
cobite
di
stagno orientale,
è una
specie diffusa
in
estremo
oriente dai bacini del Tugur e dell'Amur (Cina, Comunità di Stati Indi-
pendenti) fino
al
bacino dell'Irrawaddi
(Birmania),
comprendendo
i
seguenti
Paesi: C.I.S., Cina, Giappone, Corea del
Nord,
Taiwan, Viet-
nam, Cambogia, Thailandia
e
Birmania (BERG,
1949;
F.A.O.,
1997).
La
specie
è
acclimatata nelle Filippine, Palau, isole Hawaii (LEVER,
1996),
nel
continente americano
in
California, Florida, Idaho,
Illi-
nois,
Michigan, Oregon, Washington, Messico
e
segnalata senza
accli-
matazione
in
Tennessee (LEVER
1996,
Nico,
1999).
In
Australia
è
presente
in
varie aree (MACQUEEN,
1995;
LEVER,
1996).
In Germania
è
stata segnalata (RIFFEL
et al.,
1994)
una
popola-
zione acclimatata
di
Misgurnus mizolepis
Gùnther,
1888,
senza tuttavia
indicare
i
caratteri distintivi utilizzati
per la
determinazione. L'ultima
revisione
delle specie appartenenti
al
genere
Misgurnus
presenti
in
Cina
pone
M.
mizolepis
in
sinonimia
con M.
anguillicaudatus
(CHEN,
1981
in
KOTTELAT,
1997).
Si
ritiene pertanto,
in
accordo
con
KOTTE-
LAT
(1997),
che
la
popolazione rinvenuta
in
Germania
da
RIFFEL
et al.
possa essere attribuita
a
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus.
(') Dipartimento
di
Biologia
Animale, Università
degli
Studi
di
Pavia, Piazza Botta
9,
27100
Pavia (Italia).
(2) Assessorato Servizi Faunistici, Provincia
di
Pavia, Viale Taramelli
2,
27100 Pavia
(Italia).
560 E.
RAZZÉTTI
- P.A.
NARDI
- S.
STROSSELLI
- E
BERNINI
Il cobite di stagno orientale (Fig. la, b) presenta, come la mag-
gior
parte dei rappresentanti della famiglia,
corpo
allungato quasi
cilindrico
nella parte anteriore e mediana, moderatamente compresso
nella
regione caudale; è facilmente distinguibile dalle specie della stessa
famiglia
diffuse in Italia per la presenza di 10 barbigli
attorno
alla
bocca e per le grandi dimensioni, fino a 25 cm, raggiunte dagli adulti. I
fianchi di colore
giallo
mostrano spesso nella porzione superiore mac-
chie irregolari
grigie
o brune e minuti puntini neri in quella inferiore;
frequentemente presenta una evidente macchia scura posta in alto
alla
base della pinna caudale
(RENDAHL,
1934;
BERG,
1949).
DIFFUSIONE
NELLE
ACQUE
PAVESI
Nel giugno
1997
un individuo adulto di
Misgurnus
anguillicauda-
tus
è stato rinvenuto in un corso d'acqua della rete irrigua nel comune
di Carbonara Ticino (PV). L'esemplare, determinato in accordo con le
chiavi
proposte
da BERG
(1949),
è attualmente conservato nelle colle-
zioni del Museo di Storia Naturale dell'Università di Pavia
(20-6-1997,
roggia
Morasca, località Sabbioni, Carbonara Ticino, PV, leg. F. Ber-
nini, lunghezza totale
21,5
cm; Catalogo collezione Pesci n°
853).
Nel
luglio
1998
ulteriori sopralluoghi
hanno
permesso di accertare la pre-
senza di alcuni adulti anche in corsi d'acqua limitrofi e in particolare
nelle
rogge Castellana, del Lunedì e Molinette nei tratti in comune
di Gropello Cairoli (PV). Nel gennaio
2000
sono
state raccolte alcune
decine di adulti e giovani di entrambi i sessi (lunghezza totale compresa
tra 9 e
21
cm) nella roggia Gaviola in comune di Carbonara Ticino (PV)
ed è stata riconfermata la presenza della specie nella roggia Morasca.
I numerosi rinvenimenti e la presenza di giovani confermano
l'accli-
matazione della specie in alcuni corsi d'acqua della provincia di Pavia.
All'origine
della diffusione si
possono
ipotizzare l'introduzione
accidentale legata a pratiche di ripopolamento con materiale ittico di
provenienza estera
oppure
liberazioni volontarie da parte di acquario-
fili.
La presenza di
Misgurnus
anguillicaudatus
in acque interne italiane
è
preoccupante sia per la possibile minaccia che esso rappresenta nei
confronti di altri organismi acquatici sia per il ruolo che
potrebbe
avere
nella
diffusione di parassitosi, con potenziali rischi anche per l'uomo
(ANDO et al.,
1988;
OGATA et al.,
1988),
già accertate in Australia per il
Platelminta monogeneo
Gyrodactylus macracanthus
(ALISTAR &
INGO,
1998).
PRIMA
SEGNALAZIONE DI MISGURNUS ANGUILLICAUDATUS 561
i»
«Il
À
i a
Fig. 1: a) Adulto di Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (lunghezza totale 170 mm) rinvenuto
nella
roggia Morasca,
Carbonara
Ticino (PV) (foto E. Razzetti).
Adult
specimen
of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
(total
length
170 mm)
recor-
ded in roggia Morasca, Carbonara
Ticino
(PV)
(photo
E.
Razzetti).
b) Dettaglio del capo (foto E. Razzetti).
Detail
of
head
(photo
E.
Razzetti).
562
E. RAZZETTI
-
PA. NARDI
-
S. STROSSELLI
-
E BERNINI
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
si
aggiunge
al
lungo
elenco
di
specie
estranee
ormai
diffuse
nelle
acque
della
provincia
di
Pavia;
recente-
mente
sono
stati
rinvenuti
anche
individui
di:
Rhodeus
sericeus
(Pallas,
1776),
Alburnus
alburnus
(Linnaeus,
1758),
Barbus barbus
(Linnaeus,
1758)
e
Morone
chrysops
(Rafinesque,
1820)
x M.
saxatilis
(Walbaum,
1792)
(G.R.A.I.A.,
1999).
L'ittiofauna
alloctona,
già
rappresentata
agli
inizi
degli
anni
Novanta da 20
specie
sulle
47 presenti (BERNINI
et al.,
1994),
è
costituita
attualmente
da
25
specie
pari
al 48%
di
quelle
rile-
vate
nelle
acque
pubbliche
provinciali.
BIBLIOGRAFIA
ALISTAR
D. &
INGO
E.,
1998
-
Concurrent invaders: Four exotic
species
of
Monoge-
nea now established
on
exotic freshwater fishes
in
Australia
- Int. J.
Parasitology,
Oxford,
28(11):
1755-1764.
ANDO
K.,
TANAKA
H.,
TANIGUCIII
Y.,
SHIMIZU
M. &
KONDO
K., 1988 - Two human
cases
of
gnathostomiasis
and
discovery
of a
second intermediate host
of
Gnatho-
stoma
nipponicum
in
Japan
- J.
Parasitology,
Lawrence, 74 (4):
623-627.
BERG
L.S., 1949
-
Freshwater fishes
of
the U.S.S.R.
and
adjacent Countries
-
Fourth
edition, Izd. Akad. Nauk
SSSR,
2, Israel Program
for
Scientific Translations,
Jeru-
salem, 496 pp.
BERNINI
F.,
BISOGNI
L.,
NARDI
P.A. &
SORIA
P., 1994 - Artificializzazione del popo-
lamento ittico: l'esempio delle acque pavesi
-
Atti
del
Conv.
Naz.
A.I.I.A.D.,
Provincia
di
Vicenza,
Vicenza, pp.
333-338.
F.A.O.,
1997
-
F.A.O. Database
on
Introduced Aquatic Species
-
F.A.O.,
Rome.
G.R.A.I.A.,
1999
-
Ricerca sulla fauna ittica
del
Fiume Ticino
-
Consorzio
Parco
Lom-
bardo
della Valle
del
Ticino,
Relazione interna, 402 pp.
KOTTELAT
M.,
1997
-
European freshwater fishes.
An
heuristic checklist
of the
fre-
shwater
fishes
of
Europe (exclusive
of
former USSR), with
an
introduction
for
non-systematists and comments
on
nomenclature and conservation. Biologia,
Bra-
tislava,
52/Supplement
5:
1-271.
LEVER
C,
1996
-
Naturalized fishes
of
the world
-
Academic
Press,
San
Diego,
408
pp.
MACQUEEN
M.,
1995
- A
record
of an
introduced fish,
the
Oriental Weather Loach
(Misgurnus anguillicaudatus: Family Cobitidae) from
the
River
Murray
upstream
of Corowa
-
Victorian
Naturalist
(South
Yarra),
112
(2):
101-102.
Nico
L., 1999
-
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842)
-
in: Nonindigenous Aqua-
tic Species
-
Florida Caribbean Science
Center,
Biological
Resource
Division
of the
Geological
Survey,
U.S.
Department
of the
Interior, http://nas.er.usgs.gov/fishes/
accounts/cobitida/mi_angui.html (21 gennaio
2000).
OGATA
K.,
IMAI
J.I.
&
NAWA
Y.,
1988
-
Three confirmed
and
five suspected human
cases
of
Gnathostoma
doloresi
infection found
in
Miyazaki prefecture, Kyushu
[Japanese,
English summary]
-
Japanese
J.
Parasitology,
Tokyo, 37 (5):
358-364.
PRIMA
SEGNALAZIONE DI
MISGURNUS
ANGUILLICAUDATUS
563
RENDHAL
H., 1934 - Untersuchungen über die chinesischen formen der gattung
Misgurnus.
- Acta
Zoologica Fennica,
Helsinki, 16: 1-32.
RIFFEL
M.,
SCHENK
M. &
SCHREIBER A.,
1994 - Electrophoretic differentiation between
European loach
(Misgurnus fossilis
L.) and oriental Weatherfish
(Misgurnus
mizo-
lepis
Günter), an autochtonous and a
feral
species
of central European freshwater
fish
-
Ztschr.
Angew.
Zool.,
Berlin,
80:
473-483.
RIASSUNTO
Gli
autori segnalano la presenza di
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
in alcuni corpi idrici
della provincia di Pavia. La
specie
originaria dell'estremo oriente è stata introdotta in
diversi
paesi tra cui Australia, Stati Uniti, Palau, Messico e Germania. Sono presentate
alcune ipotesi relative alle origini della popolazione pavese della specie.
ABSTRACT
First
record of
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
(Cantor, 1842) in Italian inland water-
courses. (Osteichthyes: Cobitidae). The authors
report
the presence of
Misgurnus
anguillicaudatus
in some watercourses of the province of Pavia (north Italy). The spe-
cies
was formerly distributed in the Far East: from the Tugur (China, C.I.S.) to the
Irrawaddi
(Myanmar) catchment
area,
it has been already introduced in the United
States,
Mexico, Palau, Australia and Germany. Various hypotheses are presented in
order
to explain the presence of
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
in Italy.
ESTRATTO
dagli
ANNALI del MUSEO CIVICO di STORIA NATURALE "G. DORIA"
Voi. XCIII - 3 OTTOBRE
2000
... This species, native to the Amur, Tugur and South -East Asia drainage basin, it was first detected in Italy in 1997. Probably introduced for commercial and fishkeeping purposes (Razzetti et al., 2000), the pond loach, South -East Asia paddy field common species, has found in the Eastern Piedmont ricegrowing areas a proper habitat and in a short time it's started a biological invasion, which it could jeopardize several native species survivals. ...
... in Italy, since the discovery of some specimens of this species in the Pavia area's waters (Razzetti et al., 2000), it has quickly invaded most of the aquatic lowland habitats swimming upstream river Po and its tributaries, preferring Eastern Piedmont and Ticino areas' rice fields ( Figure 5.2.). The pond loach competes with some autochthonous Cobitidae species, as Sabanejewia larvata, Cobitis bilineata and Lethenteron zanandreai, thanks to reproductive events repeated several times during the year, prevailing with massive populations the aquatic habitats (Riina et al., 2016); moreover, in a study conducted on specimens of this species in Illinois (USA), Norris (2015) claims that it can feed on native species' larval stages and egg masses. ...
... Pond loach chemical pollutants resistance (Xia et al., 2016) has allowed this Asian Cobitidae to invade heavily altered watercourses, replacing autochthonous fish communities, which are specialized and sensitive to environmental degradation. The pond loach has taken advantage of river Po, starting from Pavese, where it was found the first introduced specimens in the middle '90 of XX century (Razzetti et al., 2000), to quickly colonize smaller watercourses (Havel et al., 2005): as highlighted by regional ichthyofauna surveys' comparison, this species is particularly abundant in the Provinces of Novara and Vercelli, areas where it has formed massive populations (Figure 8.1.). Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, besides the topmouth gudgeon and the eastern mosquitofish, is most abundant and widespread allochthonous species in the SCI "Palude di San Genuario" and these species have found in the karstic habitat a perfect environment for reproduction and larval stages development (Bovero & Candiotto, 2009 composed of female specimens, larger and longlived than the male ones. ...
Thesis
Full-text available
In the river Po drainage basin is currently underway the biological invasion carried out by the weather loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842), species introduced in Italy in the Nineties of the twentieth century: the main purposes of this work consisted in evaluating the weather loach spread in the paddy fields of Piemonte Orientale, obtaining, for the first time in Europe, data about Misgurnus anguillicaudatus populations structure near the 45º parallel north and assessing the damages on indigenous freshwater fish community. This thesis expected monitoring, through backpack electrofishing technique, of 30 sites located in the SIC IT1120007 “Palude di San Genuario”, in the Natural Reserve of IT1120008 “Fontana Gigante” and in the neighboring areas and investigating on several sites of the regional water network, on which there were thirty year data about fish community's composition: in each site the specimens of each observed species have been counted, measured and weighed, data have been used later to formulate abundance and population structure; each site was georeferenced and characterized by filling a format, reporting rivers and streams hydrogeological features. A 30 weather loach specimens sample has been taken in 8 randomly selected sites for sex ratio population study; a sample from one site has been used for the specimens growth rate and age. The analysis results carried out on the weather loaches from the 8 sites showed a clear overall sex displacement in favor of females (p<0,001), just only one site showed a sex ratio 1:1; furthermore it has been detected that females were significantly bigger and older than males (p<0,001), reaching seven years of age. The monitoring activities in the study area and the results allowed to hypothesize the existence of two different morphological types, one colonizer, mainly composed of ginogenetic female individuals, the other one riproductive, composed of individuals of both sex, it can be found in low and oxygenated streams. The comparison between the regional ichthyofauna records of 2004, 2009 and 2016 allowed to highlight and outline the biological invasion of the weather loach, having a negative effect on the freshwater fish community, especially on several benthonic species. The study area, chiefly consisting in karst spring habitat, is an excellent reproductive site for some autochthonous rare species, as lombardy brook lamprey Lethenteron zanandreai (Vladykov, 1955) and the italian loach Sabanejewia larvata (De Filippi, 1859), both species found during the monitoring sessions and a valid reason to increase the protection measures of this kind of habitat.
... presence -1989 The first report of M. anguillicaudatus in Italy dates back to 1997, when an individual was found in the irrigation network of Carbonara Ticino (PV, Lombardia, Italy). In the following years numerous adults and juveniles were found in the province of Pavia, confirming the establishment of the species (Razzetti et al., 2001). It is likely that it has invaded Piemonte from this area. ...
... This species can also survive in polluted environments characterised by high levels of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates (NOx), and turbidity (Keller et al., 2007). Due to its high reproductive and dispersal capacity, the Pond loach is highly adaptable and is of great concern because of the potential trophic and habitat competition with other benthic aquatic organisms (including the threatened S. larvata) and because of the role it may play in the spread of parasitic diseases (Razzetti et al., 2001). ...
Article
Full-text available
Freshwater fish is the most diverse group of vertebrates but, unfortunately, also one of the most threatened. While some well-known, charismatic species have been subject to important conservation efforts, many others have long been neglected. This paper aims to analyse the distribution over time of seven freshwater fish species and one lamprey in the upper Po River basin (NW Italy), an important biodiversity hotspot. Six of them are native species listed in Annex II of the Habitats Directive (Lampetra zanandreai, Protochondrostoma genei, Chondrostoma soetta, Telestes muticellus, Sabanejewia larvata, and Cottus gobio), while the other two are key invasive species (Silurus glanis and Misgurnus anguillicaudatus). Data from four regional fish population monitoring campaigns carried out between 1988 and 2019 were analysed. For each species and monitoring campaign, an average Representativeness Index, measuring abundance and population structure, and an Occurrence Frequency were calculated, and then assessed for changes over the time. Of the studied species, P. genei declined the most in the last 30 years, while C. soetta and S. larvata are in a very critical situation, with very few remaining populations. T. muticellus, C. gobio and L. zanandreai seem to have declined only slightly, but their vulnerability should not be underestimated. The two invasive species, on the other hand, show a substantial increase in occurrence as well as range. While some drivers for the decline in the native species vary according to their ecological and biological characteristics, others are more general and linked to the overall degradation of the river environments: habitat alterations, loss of connectivity, excessive water abstraction, pollution, and the presence of invasive alien species. The effects of climate change, such as the rise of inland water temperatures and the alteration of hydrological cycles, must also be taken into account. Diverse and far-reaching conservation efforts are needed to improve the fish habitat and thus also protect the unique biodiversity of this region.
... In addition to the necessity for unified frameworks to describe biological invasions (Robertson et al. 2020), management of biological invasions strongly depends on early and accurate recordings of invasive species. As illustrated by recent examples related to the controversy about Asian and Oriental weatherfish species introduced into Europe ( Riffel et al. 1994;Razzetti et al. 2001;Freyhof and Korte 2005;Belle et al. 2017;Stoeckle et al. 2019;Zangl et al. 2020), there are many challenges associated with accurate species assignment in this group (Chen 1981;Vasil'eva 2001;Kottelat 2012). For instance, a recent rapid communication paper by Zangl et al. (2020) concludes that previous samples of weatherfish analysed in a paper from Belle et al. (2017) were misidentified using molecular taxonomy, potentially overlooking that several new mtDNA barcoding sequences that Zangl et al. (2020) were able to include in their paper were not available at the time of publication. ...
... Several weatherfish species have established globally outside their native distribution ranges. For instance, M. anguillicaudatus was recorded in Australia (Allen 1984), Europe (Razzetti et al. 2001;Franch et al. 2008;van Kessel et al. 2013), North America (Simon et al. 2006), South America (Abilhoa et al. 2013) and several Asian countries (e.g. Juliano 1989;Sal'nikov 1998). ...
Article
Full-text available
Management of biological invasions strongly depends on early and accurate detection of non-native species, yet species identification is often complicated for various reasons. One prominent example relates to the controversy about the genetic specimen assignment of Asian and Oriental weatherfish species introduced into Europe. Weatherfishes, comprising the genera Misgurnus and Paramisgurnus (Cobitidae) are small benthic freshwater fishes with a wide range of habitats in the temperate to subtropical regions of Eurasia. Many of the eleven described species have been introduced outside their native ranges, mainly through ornamental trade and as food. Due to their poorly known life cycles, unclear morphology, overlapping meristic features and frequent hybridisation, the challenges associated with accurate species identification in this group comprise cryptic species and cryptic invasions, unresolved classical and molecular taxonomy, haplotype sharing and incomplete molecular genetic reference databases. Based on our newly generated molecular phylogeny comprising 289 published weatherfish COI barcodes, the existence of distinct phylogenetic clusters is evident. Except for the endangered Central European species, Misgurnus fossilis, and an unnamed cluster from Vietnam, all clusters were polyphyletic. Haplotype sharing was frequently observed, as well as specimens only labelled to genus or higher taxonomic levels. We conclude that genetic analysis of type specimens or type regions to resolve the underlying taxonomy and complete the reference databases would be necessary as prerequisite for accurate species identification in the weatherfish group. Such information is crucial in assessing their worldwide species distribution patterns, ecosystem impacts and invasive potential. As molecular genetic databases are constantly growing, new taxa are being proposed, and taxonomies are being changed in light of new data, it is obligatory to consider past publications in light of the dynamics of species names and taxonomic phylogenies. We still recommend early sharing of exotic species records since such knowledge is particularly crucial when it comes to management of invasive species.
... ВАСИЛЬЕВА и др.ней Азии, Австралии, США, на Филиппинах и Палау(Сальников, 1998;Razzetti et al., 2001;Freyhof, Korte, 2005;Simon et al., 2006;Gomes et al., 2011;van Kessel et al., 2013; Belle et al., 2017). Принадлежность к данному виду натурализовавшихся вьюнов в Германии и Туркмении (сюда они были завезены из Китая вместе с раститель-Рис. ...
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На основании сравнительных морфологических исследований вьюнов (род Misgurnus ), собранных в бассейне р. Или (Казахстан) в 2022 г., особей из коллекции Зоологического музея Московского государственного университета и данных литературы впервые показано, что в Балхаш-Илийском бассейне натурализовался восточный вьюн Misgurnus anguillicaudatus .
... are among the most frequently introduced ornamental fish species in Europe (Kottelat and Freyhof 2007;Franch et al. 2008;Belle et al. 2017;Clavero et al. 2023). In addition to the native European weatherloach Misgurnus fossilis (Linnaeus, 1758), a species of international conservation concern, listed in the Annex II of the European Habitat Directive (Council of the European Union 1992), we see three introduced Asian weatherloach species: (i) the dojo weatherloach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842) in Italy (Razzetti et al. 2001;Geiger et al. 2014), Germany (Freyhof and Korte 2005), Spain (Franch et al. 2008;Aparicio et al. 2016;Clavero et al. 2023), England (Zięba et al. 2010), France (Chauvigné 2011;Manné 2024), andNetherlands (van Kessel et al. 2013); (ii) the large-scale loach Misgurnus dabryanus (Guichenot, 1872) -also known as Paramisgurnus dabryanus Guichenot in Dabry de Thiersant, 1872 before the taxonomic revision of -in Germany (Riffel et al. 1994;Stoeckle et al. 2019), Switzerland (Marchesi 2010), and Catalonia (Clavero et al. 2023); (iii) Misgurnus bipartitus (Sauvage & Dabry de Thiersant, 1874) in Austria (Zangl et al. 2020), and Catalonia (Clavero et al. 2023). The alien invasive weatherloches may hybridze with the native species and therefore have an impact on its populations (Wanzenböck et al. 2021). ...
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A specimen of weatherloach was caught in the Lanterne stream at Chevigney-sur-l'Ognon (Rhône catchment, Doubs department, eastern France) on the 22 nd of July 2020. It was photographed and initially identified as European weatherloach Misgurnus fossilis before being released. Upon further examination of the photographs, looking at the adipose crests on the caudal peduncle, the coloration pattern and morphometric data of the head, the specimen was then correctly identified as a non-native large-scale loach Misgurnus dabryanus, thus being the first record of this species in France. Monitoring must be put in place to know if there is an established population and to follow its possible propagation.
... Previously reported findings of other East Asian species in East Kazakhstan (Karpov, 2005;Ismukhanov and Skakun, 2008;Vasil'eva et al., 2015) were based on erroneous identification of introduced species. In recent years, naturalized populations of Oriental weatherfish, which is imported in large numbers from China for garden ponds, have been noted in several European countries (Germany and Italy), Central Asia, Australia, United States, Philippines, and Palau (Salnikov, 1998;Razzetti et al., 2001;Freyhof and Korte, 2005;Simon et al., 2006;Gomes et al., 2011;van Kessel et al., 2013;Belle et al., 2017). Attri-bution to this species of naturalized weatherfishes in Germany and Turkmenistan (where they were introduced from China together with herbivorous fishes from the carp family) has been confirmed (Vasil'eva, 2001;Freyhof and Korte, 2005), while the taxonomic status of other introduced species needs to be verified, since previously other East Asian weatherfishes were identified as Oriental weatherfish and are now currently recognized as independent species (Shedko and Vasil'eva, 2022). ...
... In Europe, feral exotic weatherfish were initially found in Germany by Riffel et al. (1994) reporting, besides their genetic study on fish from a pond, a wild individual of M. mizolepis (Günther) being caught in the Nahe river (Rhineland-Palatinate) in 1993. Subsequently, Oriental weatherfish were recorded in Italy (Razzetti et al. 2001), Germany (Freyhof and Korte 2005), Spain (Franch et al. 2008), the Netherlands (van Kessel et al. 2013), from where it presently expands into Belgium, (Verreycken pers. comm), to Southern Germany (Belle et al. 2017), and recently to Austria (Zangl et al. 2020 (Milton et al. 2018;Zangl et al. 2020;Belle et al. 2021). ...
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The European weatherfish Misgurnus fossilis (Linnaeus, 1758) is a threatened freshwater species in large parts of Europe and might come under pressure from currently establishing exotic weatherfish species. Additional threats might arise if those species hybridize which has been questioned in previous research. Regarding the hybridization of M. fossilis × M. anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842), we demonstrate that despite the considerable genetic distance between parental species, the estimated long divergence time and different ploidy levels do not represent a postzygotic barrier for hybridization of the European and Oriental weatherfish. The paternal species can be easily differentiated based on external pigment patterns with hybrids showing intermediate patterns. No difference in standard metabolic rate, indicating a lack of hybrid vigour, renders predictions of potential threats to the European weatherfish from hybridization with the Oriental weatherfish difficult. Therefore, the genetic and physiological basis of invasiveness via hybridization remains elusive in Misgurnus species and requires further research. The existence of prezygotic reproductive isolation mechanisms and the fertility of F1 hybrids remains to be tested to predict the potential threats of globally invasive Oriental weatherfish species.
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This datasheet on Misgurnus anguillicaudatus covers Identity, Overview, Associated Diseases, Pests or Pathogens, Distribution, Dispersal, Vectors & Intermediate Hosts, Biology & Ecology, Environmental Requirements, Natural Enemies, Impacts, Uses, Management, Genetics and Breeding, Further Information.
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In European lakes, anthropogenic pressures have increased significantly since the 1950s, facilitating colonisation by non-native species and increasing the potential for further invasions. Here, we determined the effects of anthropogenic pressures (i.e., habitat alterations and introduction of nonnative species) on the fish communities of Italian sub-alpine lakes. We hypothesised that established non-native species would have more competitive traits against anthropogenic stressors, such as habitat alteration, than native species. Thus, we expected that non-native species would dominate lake communities and reduce native species occurrence and abundance depending on the degree of anthropogenic alterations. Overall, we predicted that the increase in anthropogenic pressures after the 1950s had led to homogenisation of the fish communities of the lakes in the region. We tested these hypotheses using data on 15 sub-alpine lakes, covering a broad geographical and morphological gradient, and compared the 2007-2014 fish community composition (sampled according to the CEN protocol plus point-abundance electrofishing) with variables of lake habitat and anthropogenic pressures (based on the Lake Habitat Survey, a method to evaluate the hydromorphological conditions of lakes according to the European Water Framework Directive ) and fish communities before 1950, the latter based on bibliographic information. Following our hypothesis, non-native species showed higher prevalence of traits that increase their competitiveness against anthropogenic alterations (e.g., tolerance to pollution). In addition to lake morphology, the community composition of non-native fish determined as abundance (NPUE) and biomass (BPUE) was positively related to anthropogenic pressures. Since the 1950s, 19 non-native species have colonised the Italian sub-alpine lakes, and the occurrence of native species has decreased by ~ 27%. However, contrary to our expectation, these changes have increased the β-diversity of the fish communities in the lakes.
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The massive occurrence of a new alien loach species in Piedmont (NW Italy) (Actinopterygii: Cobitidae). Most of riverine habitats of Piedmont plain have been colonized by an exotic loach of possible Danubian origin: this paper reports the known occurrence sites of this new exotic species. We hypothesize that the invasion of this area began in the last decades of the past century and it continues to the present day, leading to a widespread diffusion in the central-eastern Pied-mont plain and almost certainly, also in other areas of the Po river network. The presence of this species went unnoticed for a long time, perhaps thirty years. Only in the second decade of the 2000s, by means of the study of ichthyological collections and numerous field samplings, the existence of this allochthonous fish had been confirmed in the waters of Piedmont. Analyzing the morphological characteristics of this loach, with particular focus on the pigmentation, and comparing them with those of the autochthonous species Cobitis bilineata and the other transalpine congeneric ones, we provisionally determined it as Co-bitis cf. elongatoides. Our determination is purely indicative since this taxon could be distinguishable from another group of European species only by means of molecular investigation; for this reason, a genetic study had been requested on Piedmont populations in order to clarify the real systematic position of this exotic loach and to understand in detail some of its interactions with the native species Cobitis bilineata. In Piedmont stations Cobitis cf. elongatoides mostly appears with the autochtho-nous congeneric species Cobitis bilineata, but with very different percentages depending on the locality and the colonization degree reached by the exotic taxon. Among the hundreds of specimens examined, rare specimens with intermediate characters between the C. cf. elongatoides and C. bilineata had been observed and we consider them likely hybrids between the two taxa. Both the consolidated acclimatization of this new transalpine loach, probably accidentally introduced together with other Cyprinids species from Eastern Europe and the advanced expansion of the Asian weather loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus in the Piedmont plain, give rise serious concerns about the survival and conservation of the native species Cobitis bilineata due to trophic, territorial and reproductive competition. Moreover we cannot rule out the possibility that C. cf. elongatoides, in particular environmental contexts, may also afflict other important indigenous entities. RIASSUNTO-Gli ambienti acquatici lotici di buona parte della pianura piemontese sono stati colonizzati da un cobite eso-tico di possibile provenienza danubiana: in questo lavoro sono elencate le numerose località di comparsa di questa nuova spe-cie alloctona per le acque dolci italiane. Si ipotizza che l'invasione di questa parte del bacino padano, iniziata negli ultimi de-cenni del secolo scorso in seguito a introduzione di ciprinidi dall'Est Europa, sia proseguita sino ai giorni nostri, generando una diffusione capillare nella pianura piemontese centro-orientale e, probabilmente, anche in altre aree della piana del Po. La sua presenza è quindi passata inosservata per molto tempo, forse una trentina d'anni, sino alla seconda decade degli anni 2000, quando sono stati finalmente individuati interessanti reperti nelle collezioni ittiologiche e numerosi campionamenti in natura hanno confermato l'esistenza di questo pesce alloctono nelle acque del Piemonte. Analizzando le caratteristiche morfologiche di questo cobite, in particolare la pigmentazione, confrontata con quella della specie autoctona Cobitis bilineata e con le altre specie congeneri transalpine, riteniamo che potrebbe trattarsi di Cobitis cfr. elongatoides. Si tratta tuttavia di una determina-zione provvisoria e puramente indicativa poiché questo taxon è distinguibile da un altro gruppo di specie europee solamente con l'indagine molecolare; per questo motivo è stato sollecitato l'avvio di uno studio genetico su alcune popolazioni piemon-tesi che sarà indispensabile per chiarire la reale posizione sistematica di questo cobite esotico, probabilmente approdato nelle acque padane in modo accidentale, e comprendere nel dettaglio alcune sue interazioni con la specie nativa Cobitis bilineata. Nelle stazioni piemontesi di rinvenimento Cobitis cfr. elongatoides compare quasi sempre con la specie congenere autoctona Cobitis bilineata, ma in percentuali molto diverse a seconda della località e del grado di colonizzazione raggiunto dal taxon esotico. Tra le centinaia di esemplari visionati sono stati individuati rari soggetti con caratteri intermedi tra le specie C. cfr. elongatoides e C. bilineata che interpretiamo come probabili ibridi tra i due taxa. A seguito della consolidata acclimatazione di questo nuovo cobite transalpino, che si aggiunge al cobite di stagno orientale Misgurnus anguillicaudatus anch'esso in avanzata fase espansiva in tutto il territorio pianeggiante regionale, sorgono serissime preoccupazioni sulla sopravvivenza e conserva-zione della specie nativa Cobitis bilineata, sottoposta a competizioni di tipo trofico, territoriale e riproduttivo. Non si può inol-tre escludere che questa specie possa costituire una minaccia anche per altre importanti entità endemiche.
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