New record of the invasive snail Melanoides tuberculata (Gastropoda, Thiaridae) - Ceará State, Brazil

Marine or freshwater: the role of ornamental fish keeper's preferences in the conservation of aquatic organisms in Brazil

Background

The use of ornamental fish as pets has important implications for the conservation of the species used in fish keeping, particularly in relation to overexploitation. Understanding ornamental fish keepers' relationship with the hobby can provide important information for assessing the potential impacts of the activity. Here, we analyzed the profile of Brazilian ornamental fish keepers and evaluated their preferences and the implications of their choices.

Methods

Information was obtained by applying questionnaires to 906 ornamental fish keepers participating in fish keeping groups in a social network. The questionnaire contained questions about the species of fish kept (freshwater and marine), techniques used, socio-economic aspects, and associated conservation perspectives.

Results

Most ornamental fish keepers were young men (20-40 years old), with higher education and monthly income above US$ 530.00. Participants predominantly kept freshwater fish (86%), but marine fish only (5%) or both marine and freshwater hobbyists (9%) were also recorded. A total of 523 species of ornamental fish were kept, most of which comprised freshwater (76% of the total) and exotic species (73%). About a third of the fish species recorded were under national trade restrictions. In addition, about a third of ornamental fish keepers declared that they also had invertebrates. Marine aquariums require a greater financial investment, especially at the beginning, than freshwater aquariums and are also almost entirely based on exotic species. The aesthetic factor is the main motivation associated with practicing this hobby, being color and behavior key factors in choosing fish. A total of 10% of hobbyists have already released fish into the wild, highlighting concerns about potential biological invasions. There is an urgent need to enforce regulations towards restricting ornamental fish keepers' access to threatened native species and potentially invasive species, as well as measures aimed at informing and raising hobbyists' awareness of conservation measures related to the hobby.

Marine gastropods of Accra Beach, Barbados, North Atlantic Ocean

The widespread occurrence of marine gastropods in coastal regions is a straightforward evidence of successful adaptation to different environments. In the Caribbean Sea, as one of Conservation International’s biodiversity hotspots, little is known about the gastropod fauna, especially in the Eastern Caribbean. The present study contributed to bridge this gap by studying the biodiversity of gastropods from Accra Beach, Barbados. Throughout random collections in September 2015, we collected 321 gastropods, comprising eight species, distributed in three families (Neritidae: Nerita tessellata, N. fulgurans, N. versicolor and N. peloronta; Littorinidae: Echinolittorina ziczac, E. angustior and E. tuberculata; and Muricidae: Plicopurpura patula). Nerites were more abundant and diverse, highlighting N. tessellata, representing 66% of the sampled gastropods. This paper also reports the first record of N. fulgurans and E. angustior for the island of Barbados.