First record of the asp Leuciscus aspius introduced into the Iberian Peninsula

Open Access

Abstract

The asp Leuciscus aspius (L.), a large piscivorous cyprinid fish, is reported for the first time in the Iberian Peninsula. Five individuals were captured in July 2017 and many other were observed in the Darnius-Boadella Reservoir (Muga river basin, NE Spain). Our observations suggest that the asp has established in the reservoir, representing a potential threat to the native species of the Muga River. As it has been the case with several other alien fish species, the asp is likely to be illegally spread to other Iberian river basins if current management measures do not change ; Se cita por primera vez en la Península Ibérica el aspio Leuciscus aspius (L.), un ciprínido piscívoro de gran tamaño. Seis individuos fueron capturados en julio de 2017 y muchos otros fueron observados en el embalse de Darnius-Boadella (cuenca del río Muga, NE España). Nuestras observaciones sugieren que el aspio se ha establecido en el embalse, representando una potencial amenaza para las especies nativas del río Muga. Como ha sucedido con otras especies exóticas de peces, es probable que el aspio sea introducido ilegalmente en otras cuencas ibéricas si no cambian las medidas de gestión actuales ; This research was financially supported by the Catalan Water Agency, the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (projects: ODYSSEUS, BiodivERsA3-2015-26, PCIN-2016-168; CGL2015-69311-REDT; and CGL2016-80820-R), and the Government of Catalonia (ref. 2014 SGR 484 and 2017 SGR 548).