Morphological Plasticity and Biological Patterns of the Climbing Perch Anabas testudineus from Different Types of Water Bodies in Khánh Hòa Province, Vietnam

• Published in: Inland water biology 2022-06, Vol.15 (3), p.217-226
• Main Authors: Samoilov, K. Yu, Tran Duc Dien
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anabantidae; Anabas testudineus; Anthropogenic factors; Biodiversity; Biology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Climbing; Environmental conditions; Fins; Fish; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Geoecology/Natural Processes; Head; Height; Human influences; Introduced species; Invasive species; Life Sciences; Locomotion; Meristic counts; Morphology; Plastic properties; Plasticity; Ponds; Prey; Rice fields; Rivers; Survival; Systematics of Hydrobionts
• ISSN: 1995-0829; 1995-0837
• DOI: 10.1134/S1995082922020109

The morphological plasticity of the climbing perch Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792) has been studied in three water bodies of Khánh Hòa Province, Vietnam (Kai River, a rice-paddy irrigation pond, and an intermittent pond). The size, age, and sex stucture of populations and feeding spectra have been analyzed. An analysis of 16 plastic and 10 meristic characteristics shows evidence of significant differences of riverine fish by the features associated with locomotion (smaller height of the dorsal, anal, pelvic, and pectoral fins and shorter head) and with the mouth structure (the largest jaws (length), head height, and snout length). A high level of paratypical plasticity of the species is observed. The sample from an intermittent pond appears to be the most distinct due to the unfavorable conditions of the species habitat. In the Kai River, an animal-based diet that includes relatively large prey plays an important role for the climbing perch. The high ecological plasticity of the climbing perch allows it to survive in a wide range of environmental conditions, including anthropogenic influence, and to tolerate competition with invasive species.