Ichthyofauna from floodplain lakes of Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Piagaçu-Purus (RDS-PP), lower rio Purus

Abstract

The ichthyofauna of the rio Purus has been little investigated, especially in its lower portion, characterized by diverse aquatic environments, especially in flooded areas. We inventoried the ichthyofauna of floodplain lakes with different management efforts in Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Piagaçu-Purus (RDS-PP), which represent important resource for commercial fishing in North region, in the first illustrated inventory of the fish fauna from lower rio Purus. We surveyed 20 lakes, classified as open access (eight lakes) and protected (12 lakes) during 2009 low water levels. A total of 2,299 individuals were collected, represented by seven orders, 25 families and 74 species. Characiformes was the most representative order in number of species and families, followed by Siluriformes, Cichliformes, Gymnotiformes, Clupeiformes, and Osteoglossiformes. Most abundant and frequent species were Pygocentrus nattereri, Triportheus angulatus, Serrasalmus sp. "2n=58", Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps, and Osteoglossum bicirrhosum. Protected lakes presented higher species richness compared to open access lakes. Similarly, protected lakes possessed 26 species occurring exclusively, with emphasis on Colossoma macropomum, an important species for fisheries due to its commercial importance. We added 44 new records of fish species for the lower rio Purus. Our results indicate the potential efficiency of zoning systems of open access and protected lakes established by local population and ruled by RDS-PP for fisheries management. Therefore, we strongly suggest its maintenance for conservation of ichthyofauna of floodplain lakes of lower rio Purus.

The role of fishery management and environmental variables on the fish fauna in floodplain lakes in the lower Purus River, Amazon Basin, Brazil

“…Data supporting findings of the present study were available from corresponding author B.F. Morales and in report of Morales et al (2019)…”

“…The nomenclatural arrangement and classification of groupings in levels higher than family and family names followed the procedure of Betancur-R et al (2017). More details about taxonomic classification methods and methodological procedures, as well as list of fish species, photographical registers and voucher information are already available from Morales et al (2019).…”

“…In a Sustainable Development Reserve (i.e. legally protected area) in the lower Purus River, an important adopted management strategy is the categorization of lakes into open access (including commercial exploration and subsistence) and integral protection (no fishery activities allowed), as well as rules for accessing the extensively exploited fisheries resources in these areas (Morales et al, 2019). This region covers 827,317 km² and comprises more than 600 lakes periodically interconnected to the Purus River via channels and paranãs.…”

Pesquisa e Monitoramento como Subsídios para a Conservação dos Recursos Pesqueiros na Rebio do Abufari (Amazonas, Brasil)

“…Através das três linhas de ações para obtenção de dados, é possível observar quatro grandes grupos de espécies importantes, tanto em representatividade ambiental quanto na pesca, e que variam sazonalmente: pacus, sardinhas, branquinhas e piranhas. Esses resultados estão de acordo com o que foi encontrado em outros levantamentos ictiofaunísticos realizados no rio Purus e regiões adjacentes (Rapp Py-Daniel & Deus, 2003;Duarte et al, 2010;Morales et al, 2019). Pacus e sardinhas são consideradas espécies migradoras de curta distância (Santos et al, 2006;Queiroz et al, 2013), o que pode explicar a menor representatividade nas amostragens da pesca experimental, que é realizada em lagos e em períodos pontuais do ano.…”

Ichthyofauna of sandy beaches along the Acre river, Brazil

“…On the lower Purus river, in the westernmost Amazon basin, Duarte et al (2010) studied the ichthyofauna of beach environments, while Py-Daniel & Deus (2003) surveyed the local ichthyofauna and commented on local fisheries. Silva et al (2010) studied the structure and dynamics of the fish communities of streams in the flood zone, while Morales et al (2019) surveyed the ichthyofauna of the floodplain lakes of the Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve, also on the Purus river.…”