SF video: Ripoll River, Spain
Invasive mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki, in the Ripoll. © Matt Ford
Check out our video of native cyprinids Barbus meridionalis Risso 1827 and Squalius laietanus Doadrio, Kottelat & de Sostoa 2007. Both species are endemic to a few river basins in northeaster Spain and southern France, in this case the Ripoll River, a tributary within the larger Bésos drainage close to Barcelona. This is a typical Mediterranean river which flows more strongly during winter and spring and contains less water during the dry summer period.
Drought conditions can also extend between years, and a dry winter in 2013/2014 has caused the native fishes to become concentrated in permanent pools. Also present in these refuge habitats are the invasive mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki Girard 1859, pumpkinseed sunfish Lepomis gibbosus (Linnaeus 1758), and red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Girard 1852), all of which were introduced from the United States in the twentieth century and now represent a serious ecological issue throughout Spain.
This is our first attempt at editing a video with captions, music, etc., so please bear with it!
[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfQn9LgUXCk]
Category: Blogs, Fish in the wild | Tags: aquarium, Barbus, Barcelona, fish, Gambusia, invasive species, Lepomis, mosquitofish, Ripoll, Spain, Squalius | 2 comments »
June 27th, 2014 at 5:04 pm
Very nice video, I always love seeing fish in their natural habitats. Did you use any special filter to reduce reflections from the water surface?
June 29th, 2014 at 10:28 pm
Thanks for the kind comment Michael. No filter, nor much skill, used here but very glad you enjoyed it.