Life histories of potamodromous fishes [Chapter 4]

Abstract

Potamodromous fishes move and complete their life cycle entirely within freshwater. Myers (1949) proposed the term potamodromous to distinguish freshwater migratory fishes from diadromous fishes, which migrate between the sea and freshwater and oceanodromous fishes that migrate wholly within the sea. Diadromous fishes include anadromous, catadromous and amphidromous fishes (see Chapter 2, Morais and Daverat 2016). Despite its historical precedence, potamodromous has not been broadly accepted. Three other terms, 'non-anadromous', 'resident', and 'inland' are more commonly substituted in the fisheries literature. Unfortunately, these three terms have multiple definitions, as well as regional connotations which may confound their application to a broad geographic area (Gresswell et al. 1997). Consequently, potamodromous provides a more precise and more broadly applicable definition of fishes that remain wholly within freshwater.

Citation

Thurow, Russell F. 2016. Life histories of potamodromous fishes [Chapter 4]. In: Morais, Pedro; Daverat, Franchise, eds. An introduction to fish migration. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. p. 29-54.