Host mussel utilization of the Itasenpara bitterling (Acheilognathus longipinnis) in the Moo River in Himi, Japan
2009
Kitamura, J.(Kyoto Univ. (Japan)) | Negishi, J.N. | Nishio, M. | Sagawa, S. | Akino, J. | Aoki, S.
Bitterling are fishes that use freshwater mussels for oviposition. The pattern of mussel utilization of an endangered bitterling species, Acheilognathus longipinnis, which spawned in autumn, was investigated in a lowland river. Six Unio douglasiae nipponensis (1.5% of total 388 individuals) hosted A. longipinnis embryos consistently in their outer gills, and they inhabited areas along the river bank where mussel density was relatively high on a less compacted mud substrate. Unexpectedly low rates of host utilization and the rare occurrence of juvenile (shell length, 40 mm) hosts (0.8% of total individuals) suggest the need for greater attention to the conservation of A. longipinnis.
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