Life-history of the Caucasian dwarf goby Knipowitschia caucasica in an Iranian coastal wetland of the southern Caspian Sea

The Caucasian dwarf goby Knipowitschia caucasica is a small fish in the coastal wetlands of the southern Caspian Sea. The objective of this work was to describe its life-history aspects from individuals collected in the Gomishan wetland of Iran, a highly degraded ecosystem. We collected 707 fish along 18 months and calculated a short life span, TL infinity = 47.25 mm for males, and TL infinity = 43.05 mm for females, high mortality rate (1.84 and 5.83 year-1 for males and females, respectively), female dominance (M: F as 1: 1.22), low fecundity (average absolute fecundity: 672 oocytes.female-1 and mean relative fecundity 1209 oocyte.g-1 ), comparatively large oocytes (0.593 mm, ranging from 0.220 to 0.924 mm) and dependence on the wetland for spawning. Given adverse environmental changes in wetlands, we support the hypothesis that life-history traits confer this fish a high probability of extinction.(c) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study described the life-history characteristics of the Caucasian dwarf goby collected in the highly degraded Gomishan wetland of Iran, including short lifespan, female dominance, low fecundity, large oocytes, and dependence on the wetland for spawning. Given the adverse environmental changes in wetlands, this species is likely to face a high risk of extinction.