Checklist and key for the identification of fish fauna of the Uberaba River, Upper Paraná River system, Brazil

Abstract

The Uberaba River is an important right-bank tributary to the Grande River, in the Upper Paraná River system, Brazil, and the main water source for the public supply of the Uberaba city, Minas Gerais state. An inventory, an identification key, and photographs of the fish species of the Uberaba River are provided, based on samples made between 2012 and 2014 at 14 sampling sites in the river system. A total of 73 species was recorded from six orders, 20 families, and 49 genera. Characiformes and Siluriformes are the most speciose orders and Characidae and Loricariidae are the most commonly recorded families. Most species are autochthonous, nine are considered allochthonous, and two species are exotic. The Uberaba River has a diverse and heterogeneous ichthyofauna, typical of rheophilic environments, with endemic species and few non-native species.

Redefinition of Heptapterus (Heptapteridae) and description of Heptapterus carmelitanorum, a new species from the upper Paraná River basin in Brazil

“…New collections (one in 2020 and three in 2021) at the same locality were performed and in streams with sources in the same mountain (i.e., Chapadão) as the one in which specimens of H. carmelitanorum were sampled, but no additional specimens were captured. Publications (Alves et al 1998;Castro et al 2004;Andrade and Braga 2005;Ingenito and Buckup 2007;Pompeu et al 2009;Belei and Sampaio 2012;Casarim et al 2012;Casatti et al 2012;Fernandes et al 2012;Gandini et al 2012;Fagundes et al 2015;Santos et al 2017;Azevedo-Santos et al 2018;Thereza and Langeani 2019;Ribeiro et al 2019;Lima et al 2021), as well as collections (e.g., LBP, DZSJRP) with fishes from the Grande River basin were consulted, but we were not able to find heptapterids (identified as Imparfinis, Chasmocranus or Heptapterus) that represent H. carmelitanorum. It is possible, therefore, that a new survey may reveal undescribed heptapterids in single streams or rivers of the upper Paraná River basin.…”