Fishes of the Cusiana River (Meta River basin, Colombia), with an identification key to its species

Abstract

The Cusiana River sub-basin has been identified as a priority conservation area in the Orinoco region in Colombia due to its high species diversity. This study presents an updated checklist and identification key for fishes of the Cusiana River sub-basin. The checklist was assembled through direct examination of specimens deposited in the main Colombian ichthyological collections. A total of 2020 lots from 167 different localities from the Cusiana River sub-basin were examined and ranged from 153 to 2970 m in elevation. The highest number of records were from the piedmont region (1091, 54.0 %), followed by the Llanos (878, 43.5 %) and Andean (51, 2.5 %). 241 species distributed in 9 orders, 40 families, and 158 genera were found. The fish species richness observed (241), represents 77.7 % of the 314 estimated species (95 % CI=276.1–394.8). The use of databases to develop lists of fish species is not entirely reliable; therefore taxonomic verification of specimens in collections is essential. The results will facilitate comparisons with other sub-basins of the Orinoquia, which are not categorized as areas of importance for conservation in Colombia.

A new cryptic species of Imparfinis (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae) from the Orinoco River basin, revealed by an iterative approach

“…Ramírez‐Gil et al (2011): 216–217 (unnumbered photograph, morphological description, distribution and ecological data in the Orotoy River). Urbano‐Bonilla et al (2018): 79 (identification key). Zamudio et al (2017): 206 (Figure 50).…”

Taxonomic revision of Sturisoma Swainson, 1838 (Loricariidae: Loricariinae), with descriptions of four new species

“…Sturisoma tenuirostre (Steindachner, 1910). —Gosline, 1945:109 (reference; distributed in Meta River); Mago‐Leccia, 1970:86 (reference; present in Venezuela; record of S. rostrata is likely S. tenuirostre itself); Isbrücker, 1979:88 (reference; listed in Sturisoma ); Machado‐Allison, 1993:131 (recorded as S. rostratum ; however, record must be of S. tenuirostre ; species list; as present in Llanos region, Venezuela); Isbrücker, 2001:31,32 (as valid in Loricariidae; German version); Isbrücker, 2002:29 (as valid in Loricariidae; English version); Ferraris, 2003:347 (valid in Loricariinae; distribution; type series); Ferraris, 2007:300 (valid in Loricariinae; distribution; type series); Covain et al, 2016: 514 (valid as part of Sturisoma ; phylogenetic analysis of Loricariinae; not included in phylogenetic analysis); DoNascimiento et al, 2017:77 (checklist; as present in Colombia and Venezuela; record from Colombian museums); Londoño‐Burbano, 2018:1001 (as valid in Sturisoma ; as distributed in Orinoco River basin, Colombia and Venezuela; identification key of genus); Urbano‐Bonilla et al, 2018:74 (as present in Colombia, Cusiana River, Orinoco River basin); Londoño‐Burbano & Reis, 2021:7 (valid as part of Sturisoma , tribe Farlowellini; included in phylogenetic analysis of Loricariinae); Londoño‐Burbano & Britto, 2022:189 (as valid in Sturisoma ; included in molecular phylogenetic analysis; genetic distances from COI marker).…”

El reto de conservar y producir: biodiversidad y sistemas productivos en la cuenca media y baja del río Cravo Sur

“…De acuerdo con la publicación de datos en el SiB-Colombia, algunos registros del Casanare y Meta han sido verificados directamente en las colecciones biológicas del país (MPUJ, CZUT-IC, IAvH-P, ICN-MHN, MLS). Este es el caso de la unidad de paisaje del piedemonte de la Orinoquía colombiana, que registra 361 especies de peces (Zamudio Biodiversidad y Sistemas Productivos en la Cuenca Media y Baja del Río Cravo Sur et al, 2017a), distribuidas en las cuencas de los ríos Casanare, con 180 especies (Zamudio et al, 2017b), Cusiana con 241 especies , Cravo Sur, con 196 especies (Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 2020) y 180 especies de las sabanas inundables asociadas a la cuenca baja del río Guachiría (Urbano-Bonilla et al, 2017).…”