Fifteen-spined Stickleback (Spinachia spinachia Linnaeus, 1758) in waters aff the NW iberian peninsula southern limit of its range

Abstract

Though current distribution maps fail to indicate its presence south of the Bay of Biscay, Splnachia spinachia is fairly abundant off the coast of the NW Iberian peninsula, especially in the shallow waters of the southern Galician estuaries (Rias Baixas) This article reviews records of S. spinachia in this area and reports new data for the most southern Rias, including certain biological observations and estimates of seasonal variation in abundance based on catches, and indicates that the southern Iimit of the range of S. splnachia is now enlarging.