Ichthyofauna of the Mata de Itamacaoca, an urban protected area from the upper Munim River basin, Northern Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract

The Munim River basin is one of the main river drainages of the Hydrological unit Maranhão, but there are few published studies which focus on ichthyological surveys and taxonomic work within this basin. The present study aims to provide a fish species inventory of the Mata da Itamacaoca, one of the few urban protected areas from the upper Munim River basin, comparing the ichthyofauna with other lists by conducted at the upper Munim River basin. A total of 42 collection expeditions were conducted, the sampling was conducted at five collecting sites distributed within the boundaries of Mata de Itamacaoca, upper Munim River basin. Diversity indices were calculated and generalised linear models (GLMs) were employed to assess differences in species richness, diversity and evenness depending on season and location in relation to the reservoir dam wall. In order to visualize fish community differences, non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) and a one-way PERMANOVA was used to understand whether factors of site, season and location to the dam wall had an effect on fish community compositions. A total of six orders, 13 families, and 23 fish species were found, and the order with the highest species richness, considering all reaches, was Characiformes followed by Cichliformes. The most abundant species was Nannostomus beckfordi, while Pimelodella parnahybae and Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus were the rarer species sampled. There were no alien invasive species collected within the study area. Species richness was significantly higher below the dam wall, but there were no other significant differences in diversity indices with regards to season or location. Fish community composition was significantly different above and below the dam wall and was significantly affected by sampling site. Season did not have an effect on fish community. This study corroborates other studies conducted in the Unidade Hidrológica Maranhão sensu Hubbert and Renno (2006), that the ichthyofaunal composition and taxonomy of species within this region face major data deficits, anthropogenic impacts, this study may be a baseline for comparing similar environments throughout the region.

First record of non-native Xiphophorus maculatus (Günther, 1866) (Cyprinodontiformes, Poeciliidae) in the state of Maranhão, northeastern Brazil

“…Despite three decades of field campaigns in the state of Maranhão which surveyed the state's ichthyofauna, X. maculatus had not been detected in any previous collections (e.g., Garavello et al 1998;Piorski 1998;Castro et al 2002;Piorski et al 2003;Pinheiro Júnior et al 2005;Soares 2005;Castro et al 2010;Barros et al 2011;Martins and Oliveira 2011;Sousa et al 2011;Fraga et al 2012;Ramos et al 2014;Ribeiro et al 2014;Matavelli et al 2015;Melo et al 2016;Piorski et al 2017;Abreu et al 2019Abreu et al , 2020Brito et al 2019Brito et al , 2020Lima et al 2019;Teixeira et al 2019;Guimarães et al 2020aGuimarães et al , 2020bGuimarães et al , 2021Oliveira et al 2020). However, from the island of São Luís, state of Maranhão, other non-native fishes have been recorded in various aquatic environments (freshwater, brackish, and marine habitats near the coast), including Butis koilomatodon (Bleeker, 1849) (Eleotridae), Omobranchus punctatus (Valenciennes, 1836) (Blenniidae), Poecilia mexicana Steindachner, 1863 (Poeciliidae), and Poecilia reticulata (Poeciliidae) (Lasso-Alcalá et al 2011;Guimarães et al 2017;Nogueira and Luvizotto-Santos 2018;Bragança et al 2019Bragança et al , 2020b.…”

“…However, this may vary depending on the niche plasticity of both the native and invasive species, as well as localized patterns of resource availability which may allow the invader to occupy a previously unexploited niche or broadening its trophic niche under competition (Dominguez et al 2021). In Maranhão there are five native poeciliid species: Poecilia (Micropoecilia) branneri Eigennman, 1894, Poecilia (Micropoecilia) sarrafae Bragança & Costa, 2011, Poecilia (Pamphorichtys) hollandi (Henn, 1916, Poecilia (Pamphorichthys) araguaiensis (Costa, 1991), and Poecilia (Poecilia) vivipara Bloch & Schneider, 1801 (Figueiredo 1997;Bragança and Costa 2011;Ramos et al 2014;Melo et al 2016;Piorski et al 2017;Brito et al 2019Brito et al , 2020Guimarães et al 2020aGuimarães et al , 2020bGuimarães et al , 2021Oliveira et al 2020), as well as diverse yet functionally similar small fish assemblages (Oliveira et al 2020). Thus, there is a possibility that a successful invasion by X. maculatus may present a threat to native species through competition.…”

Length at first sexual maturity of the freshwater fish fauna of the Baixada Maranhense Environmental Protection Area

“…Despite ongoing research efforts, the ichthyofauna of the coastal basins of Maranhão State, Brazil remains poorly described (Abreu et al, 2019). In recent years the number of research publications on fish diversity in this region has increased (e. g. Brito et al, 2019;Guimarães et al, 2020;Oliveira et al, 2020), however important work remains to be done. An accurate assessment of population parameters related to fish reproduction is an essential component of effective fisheries management (Brown-Peterson et al, 2011;Nascimento et al, 2015;Nunes et al, 2019).…”