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New records of alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula (Actinopterygii:

Lepisosteiformes: Lepisosteidae) from Bali and Java, Indonesia

Article in Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria · June 2020

DOI: 10.3750/AIEP/02954

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ACTA ICHTHYOLOGICA ET PISCATORIA (2020) 50 (2): 233–236 DOI: 10.3750/AIEP/02954

NEW RECORDS OF ALLIGATOR GAR, ATRACTOSTEUS SPATULA (ACTINOPTERYGII:

LEPISOSTEIFORMES: LEPISOSTEIDAE) FROM BALI AND JAVA, INDONESIA

Veryl HASAN*1, 2, Maheno S. WIDODO3, R. Adharyan ISLAMY3, and Dewa A.A. PEBRIANI4
1
Fish Health Management and Aquaculture Department, Fisheries and Marine Faculty, Universitas Airlangga,
Indonesia
2
Zoology Division, Generasi Biologi Indonesia Foundation, Indonesia
3
Aquaculture Department, Fisheries and Marine Science Faculty, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia
4
Aquatic Management Resources Department, Marine Science and Fisheries Faculty,
Universitas Udayana, Indonesia

Hasan V., Widodo M.S., Islamy R.A., Pebriani D.A.A. 2020. New records of alligator gar, Atractosteus
spatula (Actinopterygii: Lepisosteiformes: Lepisosteidae) from Bali and Java, Indonesia. Acta Ichthyol.
Piscat. 50 (2): 233–236.
Abstract. Alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula (Lacepède, 1803), is native to North America, with introductions
reported from many countries. In 2019, two specimens of A. spatula were captured in Indonesia, one in the
Nyanyi Estuary, a mangrove center in the south of Bali, and the other one in the Brantas River, the main river in
the province of East Java. These records were among the first of this species from open waters in Bali Island and
Java Island. A description of meristic and morphometric features of a specimen are provided.
Keywords: distribution, new record, freshwaters, non-native fish
INTRODUCTION two localities. The presently reported findings of A. spatula
Alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula (Lacepède, 1803), in Bali Island and Java Island constitute new records.
is a predator fish native to North America, occurring from
the Mississippi River basin, southwestern Ohio, southern MATERIAL AND METHODS
Illinois, and the Gulf Mexico (Page and Burr 1991, Warren We captured both specimens of the alligator gar using
et al. 2000, Mendoza et al. 2002, Raz-Guzman et al. a cast net on 5 July 2019 in Nyanyi Estuary, south of Bali,
2018) and now introduced to many countries worldwide and using landing net on 10 November 2019 in Brantas
as a consequence of the aquarium trade (Salnikov 2010). River, province of East Java. The fish were photographed
In Addition to North America, being its natural habitat, and documented, although no voucher specimens were
A. spatula was found in open waters such as Zrebar Lake, retained because the fish were too large to be stored and
Iran (Esmaeili et al. 2017), Malay Peninsula, Malaysia we did not have enough space in the laboratory. The
(Chang et al 2017), and a coastal pond in Sumatra, determined meristic characters include the number of
Indonesia (Muchlisin 2012). Atractosteus spatula exhibits dorsal fin rays, pectoral fin rays, anal fin rays, ventral
euryhaline, tolerance to new habitats, highly predatory fin rays, and lateral line scales, while morphometric
habits, the eggs are poisonous, and the maximum recorded characters were: total length, standard length, head
length was 305 cm (McClanes 1974). Because of this, length, body depth, eye diameter, and snout length. The
A. spatula has the potential to become an invasive species methodology followed Bigelow et al. (1963). The water
(Mutlak et al. 2017). quality parameters were determined directly at each
Atractosteus spatula is commonly sold on the location immediately after the capture.
ornamental fish market (Raquel 1992, Cohen et al. 2007)
and maintained in ponds for sport fishing (Mendoza Alfaro RESULTS
et al. 2008). Nyanyi Estuary is a mangrove center in the New records (Fig. 1). Indonesia: Bali Island:
south of Bali, and the Brantas River is the main river in the Bali Province: Tabanan District: Nyanyi Estuary
province of East Java. No records of the aquarium trade and/ (8°37′42′′S, 115°06′18′′E), single specimen, total length
or sport fishing, however, have been reported from those 112 cm. Java Island: the province of East Java: Surabaya
*
Correspondence: Dr Veryl Hasan, Universitas Airlangga, Fisheries, Marine Faculty, Fish Health Management and Aquaculture Department, Surabaya 60115, East Java,
Indonesia, phone: (031) 5911541, e-mail: (VH) [email protected], (MSW) [email protected], (RAI) [email protected], (DAAP) [email protected].
234 Hasan et al.

City: Brantas River: Jagir Sluice (7°18′15′′S, 112°45′15′′E), et al. 2002). Additionally, A. spatula may damage fish nets
single specimen, total length 97 cm. throughout estuarine and freshwater habitats (O’Connell et
Identification. Specimens collected in Nyanyi Estuary al. 2007). Water conditions in the Nyanyi Estuary, namely
and Brantas River were identified as A. spatula. Atractosteus salinity 7–19‰, temperature 26–28°C, depth 0.9–1.8 m,
spatula can be distinguished from the other members of and current velocity 7.9–8.5 cm · s–1, while water conditions
the family Lepisosteidae in having a large size and broad, in the Brantas River (Jagir Sluice), namely salinity 0.01–
with an elongated and triangular short snout. Specific 0.03‰, temperature 27–30°C, depth 1.4–2.2 m, and current
morphological characters are as follows: cylindrical body velocity 6.8–7.7 cm · s–1. Water conditions in both locations
with an obvious rounded tail, light dorsal stripe, dark are ideal for A. spatula survival and growth (García de León
olivaceous brown above and white to yellowish beneath, 2001, Boschung and Mayden 2004).
dark brown blotches on all fins (Fig. 2). Meristic and We assumed that A. spatula was released by a fish
morphometric characters of A. spatula are given in Table 1. owner, who frequently got rid of unwanted predator fish
by releasing them into open water bodies. It was also likely
DISCUSSION that A. spatula were released because their excessive size
Atractosteus spatula feeds mainly on fishes, turtles, crabs, and the owner was unable to maintain it (Boschung and
birds, and small mammals and it is a successful predator in Mayden 2004, Chang et al. 2019).
its native environment (Etnier and Starnes 1993, Aguilera

N South China Sea

5o S

300 Km
Java Sea

Indian Ocean

East of Java 7o E

Bali
60 Km

112o E 114o E

Fig. 1. Presently reported new records of alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula, from Indonesia; black triangle is the Brantas
River, province of East Java, black square is Nyanyi Estuary, southern Bali (The map shows the province of East Java
without Madura Island, which can be seen on the inset)

Table 1
Meristic and morphometric of two specimens alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula, from Bali and Java, Indonesia
compared with North-American data

Meristics (counts) Morphometrics [cm]

Character
Bali Java N. America Bali Java N. America
Dorsal fin rays 7 7 7–10
Pectoral fin rays 14 14 11–15
Anal fin rays 7 7 7–10
Ventral fin rays 7 7 —
Lateral line scales 62 58 58–62
Standard length 98.8 97.3 121.6
Total length 112.0 97.0 —
Head length 31.4 30.5 31.8
Body depth 14.4 13.1 —
Eye diameter 2.1 2.1 —
Snouth length 20.1 19.6 21.1
North American data were from Suttkus (1963) and McDonald et al. (2013).
 Alligator gar in Bali and Java 235

Fig. 2. A specimen of alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula, from the Nyanyi Estuary, southern Bali, Indonesia; 112 cm
TL; lateral view of body shape (A); a closer view of the head showing the mouth and snout pattern (B)

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Received: 24 April 2020

Accepted: 15 May 2020
Published electronically: 1 June 2020

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