Annotated checklist of the freshwater fishes of continental and insular Costa Rica: additions and nomenclatural revisions

Abstract

Based on a combination of intensive literature review, electronic database searches, re-identification of museum specimens and fieldwork, we hereby provide an updated checklist of the freshwater fishes of continental and insular Costa Rica. This checklist, systematically arranged at the ordinal and familial level, includes nomenclatural revisions, distributional information, and when appropriate, cross-references on the basis of Bussing (1998). According to our results, the native Costa Rican freshwater fish fauna is composed by 250 species, divided into 119 genera, 49 families and 19 orders; increasing in 108 the number of species originally reported by Bussing (1998). By far, the vast majority of these species, according to their supposed tolerance to salinity, are peripheral (63.2%), followed by secondary freshwater fishes (23.6%); only 13.2% are primary freshwater fishes. 24 species in this checklist appear to be endemic to Costa Rica. In addition to the native fauna 8 exotic species are reported.

Reproductive life history of Heterandria bimaculata (Heckel, 1848) (Poeciliinae: Poeciliidae) in the Honduran interior highlands: trait variation along an elevational gradient

“…Despite recent gains toward understanding the biogeography of Central American freshwater fishes (Matamoros et al, 2012(Matamoros et al, , 2015, very little is known about the distribution and basic ecology of fishes in the small upland streams of the interior highlands (Miller, 1966, Lyons, 2005, Esselman et al, 2006. Livebearers (Poeciliidae) comprise a substantial portion of the Central American freshwater fish diversity, and are common in most aquatic habitats throughout the region (for example, Matamoros et al, 2009Matamoros et al, , 2012Matamoros et al, , 2015McMahan et al, 2013;Angulo et al, 2013). In fact, poeciliids often are the only taxon of fishes occurring in high-elevation Central American streams.…”

Ictiofauna de la cuenca del río Aguaytía, Ucayali, Perú

“…La baja riqueza de especies podría explicarse por la preferencia de los ciclidos a ocupar habitats lénticos en los ríos y quebradas (Carvalho et al 2009, Reis et al 2003, y los que no son frecuentes en el área de estudio. La figura 3 muestra algunas investigaciones de la ictiofauna en ríos realizados en Perú, Brasil, Costa Rica, Malasia e India comparadas con los resultados de esta investigación, se puede observar que las proporciones estimadas por Roberts (1972) y Lowe-McConnell (1987 son muy similares con las investigaciones realizadas en Perú cuenca alta del río Yuruá, cuenca del Amazonas y cuenca del río Las Piedras; Brasil, en la cuenca del río Alto Purús, cuenca del Alto río Paraná, cuenca del río Acre; y la cuenca del río Aguaytía (Carvalho et al 2009, Roberts 1972, Lowe-McConnell 1987 2012), mientras que las evaluaciones realizadas en Costa Rica, Malasia e India (Angulo et al 2013;Kummar et al 2012;Hazrin et al 2012) no siguen estas proporciones debido a la presencia de otros órdenes relacionado a su historia biogeográfica.…”

Fishes from the Tusubres River basin, Pacific coast, Costa Rica: checklist, identification key and photographic album

“…On the basis of Bussing (1987Bussing ( , 1998 and Angulo et al (2013), a total of two species (Caranx sexfasciatus Quoy & Gaimard 1825, Carangidae; and Opisthonema libertate (Günther 1867), Clupeidae) were considered to be new records for Costa Rican inland waters. In addition, on the basis of Bussing (1987Bussing ( , 1998, two species (Gymnotus maculosus Albert & Miller 1995, Gymnotidae; and Lebiasina boruca (Bussing 1967), Lebiasinidae) were shown to have expanded ranges.…”

“…Traditionally, several authors (e.g., Bussing 1987Bussing , 1998Angulo et al 2013) have included the Tusubres River Basin within the Pirris River Basin. However, as noted by Rojas (2011), geographic, hydrological, climatic and ecological factors merit the recognition of the two basins as distinct units.…”