New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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Responses to pH of nine fishes and one shrimp native to New Zealand freshwaters

DAVID W. WEST
JACQUES A. T. BOUBéE
RHYS F. G. BARRIER*

National Institute of Water & Atmospheric
Research Ltd
P. O. Box 11 115
Hamilton, New Zealand

*Present address: Department of Conservation, P. O. Box 5, Nelson, New Zealand.

Abstract  The pH values preferred and avoided by adult stages of inanga (Galaxias maculatus), common bully (Gobiomorphus cotidianus), common smelt (Retropinna retropinna), and redfinned bully (G. huttoni), were determined in a gradient tank (pH ranges of 3.2-11.2). Juvenile stages of inanga, common bully, shortjawed kokopu (Galaxias postvectus), koaro (G. brevipinnis), banded kokopu (G. fasciatus), shortfinned (Anguilla australis) and longfinned (A. dieffenbachii) elvers and glass eels, as well as freshwater shrimp (Paratya curvirostris) were also tested. Most species were found to have pH preferences and all except inanga avoided pH values of above c. 9.5. Adult fish showed stronger preferences than juveniles. An avoidance of pH values below 6.5 was apparent in most species except shortfinned elvers, koaro, and banded kokopu. Results indicate that the range of pH encountered in lowland streams are unlikely to have a major impact on the distribution of most New Zealand native freshwater fish.

Keywords  pH gradient; native freshwater fish; pH preference; pH avoidance; acid; alkali; Galaxias maculatus; G. postvectus; G. brevipinnis; G. fasciatus; Gobiomorphus cotidianus; G. huttoni; Retropinna retropinna; Anguilla australis; A. dieffenbachii; Paratya curvirostris

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 1997, Vol. 31: 461-468

0028-8330/97/3104-0461 $7.00/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1997

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (514K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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