Meeting Abstract

P2.41  Saturday, Jan. 5  The Life Less Aquatic: Water loss resistance in mudskippers and its role in emergent behavior DABRUZZI, TF*; RIBERO, L; POLGAR, G; BENNETT, WA; University of West Florida; University of Malaya; University of Malaya; University of West Florida tfd2@students.uwf.edu

Mudskippers are amphibious fishes common to tropical western Pacific mangrove habitats. In areas with two or more syntopic species, emersion patterns and presumably desiccation risks can vary greatly. We hypothesized that mudskippers would exhibit significant resistance to water loss, and that resistance values would differ relative to each species’ emergent behavior and habitat conditions. Total and cutaneous resistance to evaporative water loss were determined for barred, Periophthalmus argentilineatus and common, Periophthalmus kalolo mudskippers from mangroves on Hoga Island, southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia as well as for golden spotted, Periophthalmus chrysospilos, and dusky gilled, Periophthalmus variabilis, mudskippers from mangroves in Kula Lumpur, Malaysia. All four species tested showed significant cutaneous resistance values when compared to their agar replicates; however, no significant differences were found between total or cutaneous resistance values between species. Water loss resistance values were somewhat low, but no doubt play an important role in extending emergence times. Higher resistance values may not be compatible with cutaneous respiration or necessary for fishes that must frequently return to pools to eliminate nitrogenous wastes.