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The importance of substrate size and interstitial space in the microhabitat selection by the stream-dwelling catfish Hatcheria macraei (Actinopterygii, Trichomycteridae)

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Abstract

The study tests whether diurnal microhabitat use by Hatcheria macraei depends upon specific environmental parameters and/or the abundance of other fish. We carried out a 1-year field study in a low-order river of northern Patagonia, Pichileufu River, and used experimental trials to determine substrate preferences. Fishes were captured during daylight and physicochemical environmental variables were recorded. Headwater zones were dominated by rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and brown trout (Salmo trutta), while native fishes, H. macraei and the creole perch (Percichthys trucha) were more abundant downstream. H. macraei inhabited mostly shallow microhabitats with fast water velocity and substrates having significant interstitial spaces, independently of the abundance of other fishes. Experimental trials pointed out that H. macraei preferred mostly coarser substrates (>6 cm), avoiding fine ones. This study highlights the importance of erosional zones with high water velocity, large substrates, and suitable interstitial space in the microhabitat selection of H. macraei. The knowledge of microhabitat use by native fish populations is critical for management and conservation strategies and should be taken into account before any river modification.

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Acknowledgments

We thank CEAN for allowing us to use the facilities for the experimental work, and Dirección de Pesca Continental of the Río Negro Province for permission to collect native fishes. We are grateful to P. J. Unmack for comments, suggestions, and detailed revision of our English. We also greatly appreciate the field work assistance of J. Allison, J. C. Barriga, L. Battini, N. Battini, J. Chawarski, C. González-Minguez, J. Hill, and J. Smith. The manuscript benefited from the comments and suggestions from the anonymous reviewers. This study was funded by Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica, Argentina (ANPCyT, PICT No. 262), by Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina (CONICET, PIP No. 282) and by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) PIRE program (OISE 0530267) for collaborative research on Patagonian Biodiversity to support collaboration among the following institutions (listed alphabetically): Brigham Young University, Centro Nacional Patagónico, Dalhousie University, Instituto Botánico Darwinion, Universidad Austral de Chile, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Universidad de Concepción, and University of Nebraska.

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  1. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente, CONICET – Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, Bariloche, Río Negro, 8400, Argentina

    J. P. Barriga, N. A. Espinós, J. M. Chiarello-Sosa & M. A. Battini

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  1. J. P. Barriga
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  2. N. A. Espinós
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  3. J. M. Chiarello-Sosa
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  4. M. A. Battini
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Correspondence to J. P. Barriga.

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Barriga, J.P., Espinós, N.A., Chiarello-Sosa, J.M. et al. The importance of substrate size and interstitial space in the microhabitat selection by the stream-dwelling catfish Hatcheria macraei (Actinopterygii, Trichomycteridae). Hydrobiologia 705, 191–206 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-012-1398-0

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