Reproduction and spawning behavior of the climbing perch Anabas testudineus (Perciformes, Anabantidae) in an aquarium

Results of study of the spawning and reproductive behavior of the climbing perch Anabas testudineus in an aquarium are presented. Main specific features of reproduction of this species are revealed. In the performed experiments, climbing perches did not build a nest, did not prepare a spawning substrate, and did not show any forms of parental care. The pre-spawning and spawning behavior of the climbing perch is described, and fecundity and gonadosomatic index are determined. It is shown that intermittent spawning is typical of these fish. Mating system of the climbing perch is either polygamy or promiscuity. Sexual dimorphism in the climbing perch was not found. The eggs of the climbing perch have positive buoyancy and belong to the really pelagic type, which is rare for freshwater fish. Infanticide is a common phenomenon for the climbing perch. Breeding of the given species under aquarium conditions can be exercised without artificial hormonal stimulation, at different sex ratio, and under conditions of stocking density considerably exceeding standard aquacultural recommendations. The main specific features of reproduction of the climbing perch are discussed in relation to evolution of parental care in labyrinth fishes.     

Ultrastructure of the Sagitta Otolith in Different Body Size Groups of Climbing Perch Anabas testudineus (Anabantidae)

Journal of Ichthyology - The ultrastructural characteristics of the sagitta of the climbing perch, Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792) in different body size groups are described for the first time...     

Effect of Thiourea on Migratory Activity of Climbing Perch Anabas testudineus and Food Consumption

Journal of Ichthyology - The effect of thiourea (exposure to 0.05% solution) on the migratory activity of the climbing perch Anabas testudineus has been studied. It is established that thiourea...     

Morphology of the Olfactory Organ in the Climbing Perch (Anabas testudineus,Anabantidae, Perciformes)

Biology Bulletin - The structure of the olfactory organ in the climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) has been studied by light microscopy. The anterior nostril is a short and narrow tube directed...     

Early Ontogeny of the Climbing Perch Anabas testudineus (Anabantidae) in Relation to the Buoyancy Dynamics

Journal of Ichthyology - This article describes early development of the climbing perch Anabas testudineus in relation to its buoyancy dynamics. Main patterns of the ontogeny during the first 140 h...     

Evaluation of buoyancy dynamics in the early ontogenesis of climbing perch <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anabas testudineus</Emphasis> (Anabantidae)

The paper puts forward a new approach to estimation of buoyancy of hydrobionts using dispersion of various densities. The technique was applied to evaluate buoyancy variations in climbing perch Anabas testudineus at its early ontogeny. It was found that positive buoyancy characteristic of eggs and early stage larvae does not remain longer than the first eighty hours of development. Besides, this period is marked by significant fluctuations in buoyancy. The maximum buoyancy was recorded at the time of hatching of the embryos, which occurs at the age of approximately thirty hours. At ninety hours the buoyancy of larvae becomes negative. Later, it goes up somewhat, and the individual differences become more important in its dynamics pattern. Some individuals are neutrally buoyant, though no return to positive buoyancy was observed. The estimates obtained by the author create a foundation for further morphofunctional analysis of the hydrostatically significant structures in the early development of the climbing perch.     

Scanning electron microscopy of the heart of the climbing perch

The air-breathing climbing perch Anabas testudineus has two ventral aortas, one directs blood through well developed anterior gill arches into the suprabranchial chambers and back to the heart and the other sends blood through rudimentary shunt-like posterior arches and onto the systemic circulation. The sinus venosus is a thin-walled structure and lacks myocardial trabeculae. The atrium is similar to that of other teleosts and it is traversed by numerous myocardial trabeculae. There are no sinoatrial valves, whereas the atrioventricular aperture is guarded by one pair of large wing-shaped and two small cap-shaped valves. The ventricle is composed only of spongy myocardium and has numerous branching lacunae extending to the epicardium. The thick-walled bulbus arteriosus is lined with longitudinal ridges and this and the ventricular trabeculae may minimize mixing of respiratory and systemic flow while blood is passing through the heart. However, with the exception of the absence of sinoatrial valves and the ridged bulbar lumen, the heart of the climbing perch is essentially similar to that of most other non air-breathing teleosts.     

The influence of hunger on food‐stocking behaviour of climbing perch Anabas testudineus

The present study demonstrated that the climbing perch Anabas testudineus collected and stocked food pellets in its mouth, a behaviour that has not yet been reported in any other species of fish. In this species, food deprivation for 24 h increased food stocking, but not food intake.     

The Behavior of Climbing Perch, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anabas testudineus</Emphasis>, with Novel Food in Individual and Social Conditions

Results of investigation of how social context affects responses to, and consumption of the novel food in climbing perch, Anabas testudineus, are presented. The fish living in group fed better from the first day of the experiment. The quantity of consumed pellets always exceeded that in solitary specimens. Their rate of habituation to the novel food was always significantly higher.     

鳜plin2生物信息学分析、组织表达及其在肝脏脂肪蓄积中的作用

为探究鱼类脂滴包被蛋白plin2(Perilipin 2)基因的结构和功能,研究成功地克隆并鉴定出鳜(Sinipercachuatsi)plin2的2个亚型,分别命名为plin2a和plin2b.氨基酸多重比对发现其编码序列与刺鱼(Gasterosteus aculeatus)具有高度的同源性.结构域分析发现鳜plin...     

Collared doves Streptopelia decaocto display with high, near-maximal muscle powers, but at low energetic cost

Display flight in collared doves Streptopelia decaocto consists of a rapid ascent from a perch, followed by a glide back to the same or near-by perch. The hypothesis that ascending flight presents an honest signal of the maximum power generating capacity of the displayer is considered. Using a deliberately conservative approach to calculating the power requirements of collared dove display flights, the highest power performance in an ascending collared dove is equivalent to that derived from wind tunnel studies on the morphologically similar ringed turtle-dove Streptopelia risoria . Muscle power requirements are very high (up to 232  W/kg), representing the highest performance measured in the field to date. However, the maximum energy requirements over an hour due to climbing power equates to only 5% of the basal metabolic rate. Display flight in collared doves appears to be an efficient and 'uncheatable' system for demonstrating fitness, either for mating or for territory defence.     

Understanding the gastrointestinal physiology and responses to feeding in air-breathing Anabantiform fishes

The Mekong Delta is host to a large number of freshwater species, including a unique group of facultative air-breathing Anabantiforms. Of these, the striped snakehead (Channa striata), the climbing perch (Anabas testudineus), the giant gourami (Osphronemus goramy) and the snakeskin gourami (Trichogaster pectoralis) are major contributors to aquaculture production in Vietnam. The gastrointestinal responses to feeding in these four species are detailed here. Relative intestinal length was lowest in the snakehead, indicating carnivory, and 5.5-fold greater in the snakeskin, indicating herbivory; climbing perch and giant gourami were intermediate, indicating omnivory. N-waste excretion (ammonia-N + urea-N) was greatest in the carnivorous snakehead and least in the herbivorous snakeskin, whereas the opposite trend was observed for net K⁺ excretion. Similarly, the more carnivorous species had a greater stomach acidity than the more herbivorous species. Measurements of acid–base flux to water indicated that the greatest postprandial alkaline tide occurred in the snakehead and a potential acidic tide in the snakeskin. Additional findings of interest were high levels of both PCO₂ (up to 40 mmHg) and HCO₃⁻ (up to 33 mM) in the intestinal chyme of all four of these air-breathing species. Using in vitro gut sac preparations of the climbing perch, it was shown that the intestinal net absorption of fluid, Na⁺ and HCO₃⁻ was upregulated by feeding but not net Cl⁻ uptake, glucose uptake or K⁺ secretion. Upregulated net absorption of HCO₃⁻ suggests that the high chyme (HCO₃⁻) does not result from secretion by the intestinal epithelium. The possibility of ventilatory control of PCO₂ to regulate postprandial acid–base balance in these air-breathing fish is discussed.     

Behavioural Lateralization in Budgerigars Varies with the Task and the Individual

Handedness/footedness and side biases are a well-known phenomenon in many animals, including humans. However, these so-called biases have mostly been studied at the population level - individual biases have received less attention, especially with regard to consistency over different tasks. Here we investigate behavioral lateralization in 12 male Budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus, a social parrot inhabiting the Australian bushlands. We performed 5 types of experiments to investigate lateralization, in tasks that involved climbing onto a perch, or landing on perches arranged in various configurations. The birds displayed highly significant, individually varying biases. The bias displayed by any particular individual varied with the task, in strength as well as polarity. Analysis of the data revealed that the preferred foot used for climbing did not coincide with the foot that was used while landing. Thus, landing choices are probably not determined by foot bias. Furthermore, these individual preferences were overridden completely when a bird had to perform a task simultaneously with another bird.     

Escape tactics and effects of perch height and habituation on flight initiation distance in two Jamaican anoles (Squamata: polychrotidae)

Escape by Anolis lizards is influenced by microhabitats and fight initiation distance increases with predation risk. Differences in microhabitat use among ecomorphs affect escape behavior, but only two studies have reported ecomorphological differences in flight initiation distance among Greater Antillean species. I studied effects of predation risk and microhabitats on escape behavior by conducting field experiments using two species of anoles, Anolis lineatopus and A. grahami, on the campus of the University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica. Because ecomorphological variation of anoles has evolved independently within each island of the Greater Antilles, but relationships between ecomorphs and escape behaviors are poorly known, I characterized microhabitat use and escape tactics, and determined relationships between flight initiation distance and two risk factors, habituation to human presence and perch height, in Anolis lineatopus, a trunk-ground anole and A. grahami, a trunk-crown anole. Sample sizes for A. lineatopus and A. grahami were 214 and 93, for microhabitat use and escape destinations, 74 and 34 for human presence and 125 and 34 for perch height. The two species occurred in similar microhabitats and exhibited similar escape tactics, but exhibited key differences expected for their ecomorphs. Both species were sighted frequently on the ground and on trees, but A. lineatopus were more frequently on ground and were perched lower than A. grahami. Both species escaped from ground to trees and when on trees hid on far sides and escaped without changing climbing direction with equal frequency. The frequency of fleeing upward was greater for A. grahami than A. lineatopus. Both species exhibited habituation by having shorter flight initiation distances in areas with more frequent exposure to people. In both species flight initiation distance increased as perch height decreased because, lizards had to climb farther to be out of reach when perched lower. The relationship between flight initiation distance and perch height may apply to other anole ecomorphs that flee upward when low perched on trees.     

Scanning electron microscopy of the post-embryonic stages of the climbing perch,Anabas testudineus

Different developmental stages, fertilized eggs through hatchlings, of the climbing perch,Anabas testudineus, have been studied by scanning electron microscopy. The surface specialization of eggs and hatchlings reveals that while the egg surface is reticulate in appearance, the hatchlings are covered with microridges. Vitelline arteries are seen at the pharyngeal and abdominal regions. They supply nutrients directly from the yolk sac to the developing embryo. Three pairs of such arteries are distinctly seen in the pharyngeal region. Mucous glands are discernible at places over the entire body surface of the embryo before the formation of scales. The skin seems to be helpful in gaseous exchange till the gills and accessory respiratory organs develop and become functional.     

Bird Perches Increase Forest Seeds on Puerto Rican Landslides

Abstract Landslides result in the loss of vertical vegetative structure, soil nutrients, and the soil seed bank. These losses impede timely recovery of tropical forest communities. In this study we added bird perches to six Puerto Rican landslides with three types of surfaces (bare, climbing fern, grass) in an effort to facilitate inputs of forest seeds through bird dispersal and to accelerate plant succession. Numbers of bird‐dispersed forest seeds were significantly higher in plots beneath introduced perches than in control plots. Perches did not increase forest seedling densities compared with control plots. Seven different species of birds were observed on introduced perches. Because 99% of the seed inputs to controls and perch plots in the six landslides were wind‐dispersed seeds (mostly graminoids), perches can improve landslide restoration if woody plants establish and shade out the dominant graminoid and climbing fern ground cover. Although increasing seed inputs from forest species is a critical step in accelerating revegetation of landslides, we suggest that supplemental restoration techniques be applied in addition to bird perches to promote forest recovery.     

Characterization and identification of phytase-producing bacteria isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of four freshwater teleosts

Isolation and enumeration of phytase-producing bacteria in the proximal intestine (PI) and distal intestine (DI) of four freshwater teleosts, Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), murrel (Channa punctatus), climbing perch (Anabas testudineus), and stinging catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis) have been carried out following enrichment culture technique. The bacterial isolates were screened on the basis of their phytase-producing ability. In modified phytase screening medium (MPSM), phytase-producing strains were recorded at higher densities in the PI of Nile tilapia and climbing perch and at a minimum in the DI of catfish. Out of 32 isolates, 20 phytase-producing strains (9 from the DI and 11 from the PI) were primarily selected on the basis of qualitative assay on MPSM plates. Among these isolates, 3 strains (2 from the PI and 1 from the DI) were selected as potent phytase producers according to quantitative enzyme assay. Maximum phytase activity was detected in the bacterial strain ONF2 isolated from the PI of O. niloticus followed by CPF6 and CPH6, isolated from the PI and DI, respectively of C. punctatus. All the three selected phytase-producing strains were Gram-positive rods, capable of forming endospores, and could tolerate a wide range of temperature (25–42 °C) and pH (6–10). The strain CPF6 was able to grow at temperatures up to 55 °C. On the basis of 16S rDNA sequence analysis, isolates ONF2, CPF6 and CPH6 were identified as Bacillus licheniformis. The strain ONF2 showed 100 % similarity to B. licheniformis strain LCR32 (Accession no. FJ976541.1) whereas CPF6 and CPH6 showed 99 % similarity to B. licheniformis strain LCR32 (Accession no. FJ976541.1).     

Countertactics of the japanese aucha perchsiniperca kawamebari against brood parasitism by the japanese minnowpungtungia herzi

Japanese aucha perch males taking care of eggs and fry are often brood-parasitized by a Japanese minnow. When the minnows are ovipositing in the perch nests, some of the perch eggs in the nests are often eaten by other fishes. The minnows’ eggs are subsequently guarded by the perch males until hatching. Countertactics of the perch against such brood parasitism were examined in a river of western Japan. Perch males did not employ any countertactics such as ejection of parasites’ eggs or nest desertion. On the other hand, perch females avoided spawning in nests with greater numbers of perch eggs and produced smaller clutches during the parasitic period than in the non-parasitic period. These behavior can be regarded as anti-parasitism tactics because minnows prefer to spawn in nests with higher numbers of perch eggs.     

The population dynamics of pike,Esox lucius,and perch,Perca fluviatilis,in a simple predator-prey system

Synopsis The population dynamics and predator-prey relationship of pike, Esox lucius, and perch, Perca fluviatilis, were examined in simple fish communities in two adjacent shallow lakes, Lochs Kinord and Davan, Deeside, Scotland. Few perch survive to age 3 but Z is low for fish > 3 years and perch live up to 17 years. Population fecundity remained relatively high and constant in perch because of the multi-age spawning stock and the presence of older more fecund perch. Growth rates of perch in both lochs are relatively high as a consequence of low stock abundance. The N, B, and P of adult perch were unusually low. The age range of pike, and N, B, P, and growth were in the range of values reported elsewhere. There was little variation in the strength of pike year classes and the importance of cannibalism and low occurrence of alternative prey in the lochs suggest that the populations were self-regulating. Cannibalism by adults was responsible for most of mortality in perch larvae, and predation by pike and adult perch was responsible for the majority of juvenile losses. This conclusion is supported by the high biomass ratios of pike:juvenile perch of 1.0–30.8. While the number of adult fish was almost equal, the biomass of adult pike was 2–3 × that of perch in Kinord and 6 × in Davan. In L. Kinord, where year class strength was stable, high predation pressure from perch and pike reduced perch abundance rather than eliminated year classes. Perch year classes fluctuated in abundance in L. Davan and were eliminated in the first summer in two sampling years. The pike, and particularly the perch populations, have features characteristic of fish communities in unperturbed ecosystems: namely, a wide range of age classes, stability in biomass with variation dampened by longevity, and low production.