First evidence of a landlocked reproducing population of the marine pejerrey Odontesthes argentinensis (Actinopterygii; Atherinopsidae)

GONZALEZ-CASTRO M; HATTORI RS; MAIZTEGUI T; LOZANO I; DEL PONTI O; BAIGÚN C; MIRANDA LA; STRÜSSMANN CA; BERASAIN GE; SANSANO P; SALINAS V; MINOTTI P; COLAUTTI DC; VILLANOBA GV; MANCINI M; GROSMAN F; LLAMAZARES-VEGH S; DEL FRESNO PS

Journal of Fish Biology

wiley

Año: 2020 vol. 96 p. 202 - 216

1095-8649

In South America, the orderAtheriniformes includes the monophyletic genus Odontesthes with 20 species that inhabit freshwater, estuarine andcoastal environments. Within this genus, there are two closely related species,O. argentinensis widely distributedin coastal and estuarine areas of the Atlantic Ocean, and O. bonariensis, found in inland and mixohaline waters. O. argentinensis, is known to foray inestuarine zones of riverine systems, particularly in conditions of elevatedsalinity, but to the best of our knowledge a landlocked, self-sustainingpopulation has never been recorded. In this work, we examined the pejerreypopulation of La Salada de Pedro Luro Lake (SPL, Southeast of Buenos AiresProvince, Argentina), to clarify their taxonomic identity. By means of integrativetaxonomy based on traditional meristic, landmark-based morphometrics, andgenetic techniques, it was found that the SPL pejerrey population represents anovel case of physiological and morphological adaptation of a marine pejerrey speciesto a landlocked environment and emphasizes the environmental plasticity of thisgroup of fishes.