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Distribution, abundance, population structure and activity of Halobatrachus didactylus in the Tagus estuary (Portugal) and adjacent coastal waters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 November 2011

João Carlos Cotter ,
Tadeu José Pereira ,
Maria José Costa  and
José Lino Costa
João Carlos Cotter
Affiliation:
Center of Oceanography, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
Tadeu José Pereira*
Affiliation:
Center of Oceanography, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
Maria José Costa
Affiliation:
Center of Oceanography, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
José Lino Costa
Affiliation:
Center of Oceanography, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: T.J. Pereira, Center of Oceanography, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal email: tjpereira@fc.ul.pt
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Abstract

The Lusitanian toadfish Halobatrachus didactylus is a demersal teleost and the only species of the family Batrachoididae that occurs along the continental Portuguese coast. It is a subtropical species that is more abundant in the south of Portugal, whereas along the western coast it is concentrated in discrete populations, located in estuaries and coastal recesses. The distinct features of these estuaries have revealed important changes in the respective Lusitanian toadfish populations, namely particularities in their distribution and population structure, and also in the morphology and breeding behaviour of the specimens. A survey covering 31 stations in the Tagus estuary, Portugal, and adjacent coastal waters sampled these stations over an 18 month period. This study characterized the distribution, abundance, population structure and activity of H. didactylus in this coastal zone. Toadfish showed a preferential distribution in the intermediate and lower estuarine stretches, and was more abundant in the Montijo Bay, a small bay within the Tagus estuary. Three length-groups were identified, with larger specimens more abundant in deeper areas. The specimens also revealed a preference for areas of higher water temperature, low water current and muddy substrates. Female specimens were slightly more abundant than males and type II males had a very low frequency of occurrence (3.2%). Captures of toadfish were high in spring and late summer and very low in winter.

Keywords

Lusitanian toadfishdensitysizesex-ratioproportion of male morphotypestemporal variations
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 93 , Special Issue 2: Fish and Fisheries , March 2013 , pp. 405 - 412
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2011

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