Abstract
Abstract: This work assessed freshwater fishes collected at 12 stations located along the Tarumã River, middle Machado River, Madeira River basin. The fieldwork took place in May and September 2015 during the high and low water seasons, respectively. We gathered 1,482 specimens representing seven orders, 30 families, 54 genera and 74 species using seine, gill, and hand nets. The family Characidae was the most representative, exhibiting the highest number of species captured. The species with the greatest abundance were Hemigrammus vorderwinkleri, Hyphessobrycon bentosi, Hemigrammus cf. bellottii, Bryconella pallidifrons, and Apistogramma resticulosa. Two species that remained unidentified are probably a new species. This study represents the third fish survey totally conducted at a Conservation Unit in the Rondônia State, and will certainly provide valuable information for future investigations on biodiversity conservation in the Machado River.
Highlights
Among the 33,984 fish species described around the world (Eschmeyer & Fong 2016), at least 13,000 varieties are unique to freshwater environments (Nelson et al 2016)
This study presents a survey of the ichthyofauna of the Tarumã River, a right-bank tributary of the Machado River, located within the Jaru Biological Reserve
A total of 1,263 specimens representing six orders, 20 families, and 50 species were collected in the streams and 219 specimens; five orders, 13 families, and 24 species were collected in the river (Table 2)
Summary
Among the 33,984 fish species described around the world (Eschmeyer & Fong 2016), at least 13,000 varieties are unique to freshwater environments (Nelson et al 2016). The Neotropical realm (South and Central America) encompasses more than 4,000 valid fish species (Reis 2013), with the Amazon River basin harboring the world’s greatest diversity of freshwater fish (Freitas et al 2010, Winemiller et al 2016, Reis et al 2016). The majority of the current protected areas in Brazil were created with disregard for the aquatic environment (Agostinho et al 2005, Abell et al 2007). It is uncontestable that they can protect many water bodies and, play a highly important role in the conservation of freshwater organisms (Agostinho et al 2005)
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