Fishes (Osteichthyes: Actinopterygii) from the Penacho stream, upper Paraná River basin, Paraná state, Brazil

Abstract

The focus of this work was to survey the ichthyofauna of the Penacho stream, a tributary of the Laranjinha River, northeastern Paraná State, in an area of the Upper Paraná River basin still devoid of ichthyofaunal studies. In general, the banks of the Penacho Stream are predominantly characterized by pasture or agricultural activities and may exhibit little riparian vegetation in few stretches. Fishes were collected at eight different locations, from its headwaters to its mouth, between February 2009 to March 2010. A total of seven orders, twelve families and thirty-three species, three of which not native to the basin, were reported. The fish species captured along the Penacho stream are those that still manage to stay in those environments, even in changed conditions. However, to better understand the effects of degradation on fish diversity, it is necessary to monitor it along time.

Ichthyofauna of streams of the Lower Paranapanema River basin, state of Paraná, Brazil

“…Species addition seems to prevail in less abrupt transitions of streams gradient (Ferreira and Petrere Jr. 2009), but segments more distant from the headwaters often present a more complex habitat, suggesting a higher number of species able variably to interact with the environment (Silva et al 2013). The opposite situation observed in Tenente and Centenário streams may be strongly associated with local environmental characteristics (Mazzoni et al 2006;Teresa and Romero 2010) and can be attributed to the degree of environmental degradation along the whole reach but concentrated in the upper portion.…”

“…Prior studies covered areas flooded by reservoirs (Brandão et al 2009;VidottoMagnoni 2009;Orsi 2010;Kurchewski and Carvalho 2014) besides rivers, streams and creeks (Galves et al 2007;Cunico et al 2012;Pagotto et al 2012;Cetra et al 2012;Cionek et al 2012;Costa et al 2013).…”

Fine-scale genetic structure patterns in two freshwater fish species, Geophagus brasiliensis (Osteichthyes, Cichlidae) and Astyanax altiparanae (Osteichthyes, Characidae) throughout a Neotropical stream

“…The fish fauna composition of its streams is one of the best studied (Castro et al, 2003;Costa et al, 2013), with similar patterns of species distribution observed in different drainages. Species of different orders, such as Astyanax genus (Characiforms), Hypostomus genus (Siluriformes), and Geophagus genus (Perciformes), are among the most common and widely distributed in these streams (Castro et al, 2003;Costa et al, 2013). Thus, population genetics could be simultaneously studied in different species, allowing distinctions to be made among general aspects of genetic distribution and, in particular, of each species.…”

“…They are also being constantly altered by anthropogenic impact, which prevents longitudinal, lateral, or vertical connectivity throughout the flow (Vrijenhoek, 1998). Considering the importance of these drainages, several studies have investigated fish diversity, species distribution patterns, and anthropogenic interferences in Neotropical streams (Castro et al, 2003;Costa et al, 2013). However, few studies have investigated population genetics in fish streams (Sofia et al, 2006(Sofia et al, , 2008, revealing a gap in knowledge on Neotropical hydrographic systems.…”

“…Astyanax altiparanae and Geophagus brasiliensis are frequently found in streams of the upper Paraná River basin (Castro et al, 2003;Costa et al, 2013). A. altiparanae (a species of lambari) prefers marginal environments and surface lotic stretches, making short migrations during the reproductive period without parental care (Suzuki et al, 2002).…”