An evaluation of Fluorescent elastomer for marking killifish, <i>Epiplatys bifasciatus</i> and <i>Epiplatys spilargyreius</i> in abundance and growth studies

Abstract

We evaluated the subdermal injection of fluorescent elastomer for tagging two sympatric aplocheilids, Epiplatys bifasciatus and E. spilargyreius, in pond and stream conditions. The smallest size that could be injected without mortality was 28 mm TL. The Visible Implant Elastomer (VIE) tag did not affect the growth or survival of adults of these fishes. Marks were retained throughout the 70 days of the pond experiment. The best position for injection of VIE in these fishes is the belly. VIE is most appropriate for mark-recapture population size estimation and movement studies. The tag could not be used for growth studies of these species because they become juveniles at about 21 mm TL, two weeks after hatching, and become sexually mature at about 26 mm TL, while the smallest tangible specimen was 28 mm TL.

Keywords: tagging, visible implant elastomer, mark-recapture, aplocheilids, killifish

Journal of Aquatic Sciences Vol. 21(1) 2006: 29-31