Ichthyofauna of the humid forest enclaves in the tablelands of Ibiapaba and Araripe, Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Humid highland forest enclaves are remnants of Atlantic Forest found in tablelands within the Caatinga biome (Northeastern Brazil), which emerged during interglacial periods in the Pleistocene. These ecosystems have a highly diverse and endemic fish fauna. Most earlier surveys have focused on the tableland of Borborema (Pernambuco and Paraíba States). In this study we surveyed the fish fauna of the humid forest enclaves in the tablelands of Ibiapaba and Araripe, based on samples collected in the rainy season (March and April) between 2009 and 2014. The 45 sampling points covered rivers, streams and reservoirs in five river basins belonging to three ecoregions. The species were listed according to drainage divide, and endemism was determined for each ecoregion and for the Caatinga. Our area was more species-rich (n=59) than Borborema (n=27). The samples included five introduced species and 29 species endemic to the Caatinga (49.1% of the sampled species). The distribution of Parotocinclus haroldoi was expanded to the Mid-Northeastern Caatinga ecoregion (Timonha river basin, Ceará State). Our study intends to make a significant contribution to current knowledge of the ichthyofauna in humid highland forest enclaves of semiarid Northeastern Brazil, identified as a priority in the conservation of the biodiversity in the Caatinga.

Continental ichthyofauna from the Paraíba do Norte River basin pre-transposition of the São Francisco River, Northeastern Brazil

“…This paradigm has recently changed with the publication of a book chapter entitled "Diversity, patterns of distribution and conservation of fishes from Caatinga" in Rosa et al (2003) listed 240 species of freshwater fishes for the Caatinga biome, comprising the broadest evaluation about the freshwater ichthyofauna from this region to date. Various studies have since been undertaken which the understanding of the regional ichthyofauna through publications, including: Ramos et al (2005), Alves et al (2008), Nascimento et al (2011), Cardoso (2012), Gurgel-Lourenço et al (2013), Novaes et al (2013, Camelier & Zanata (2014), Nascimento et al (2014), Paiva et al (2014), Silva et al (2014), Ramos et al (2014), Silva et al (2015), Gurgel-Lourenço et al (2015), Rodrigues-Filho et al (2016), Costa et al (2017), Teixeira et al (2017) and Oliveira-Silva et al (2018).…”

Ictiofauna do Parque Estadual Mata do Xém-Xém, bacia do rio Paraíba do Norte, Paraíba, Brasil

“…Rosa e Groth (2004) realizaram um levantamento ictiofaunístico dos brejos de altitude dos estados da Paraíba e Pernambuco. Rodrigues-Filho et al (2016) inventariou os enclaves de floresta úmida nos planaltos da Ibiapaba e do Araripe, nos estados do Ceará e Pernambuco, e elencou 59 espécies.…”

Updated checklist and DNA barcode‐based species delimitations reveal taxonomic uncertainties among freshwater fishes from the mid‐north‐eastern Caatinga ecoregion, north‐eastern Brazil

“…From our four new records for the MNCE, three ( Kryptolebias hermaphroditus Costa 2011, L. curviceps Include (Ahl 1923), Parotocinclus haroldoi Garavello 1988 and Serrasalmus spilopleura Kner 1858) are restricted to a single or few records in restricted areas of the MNCE, suggesting a marginal occurrence ( P. haroldoi in the westernmost Timonha River basin; Rodrigues‐Filho et al ., ) or even anthropogenic introdutions ( S. spilopleura and L. curviceps in a single small coastal basins of Rio Grande do Norte State, each, both in the Atlantic Forest area). The mangrove killifish K. hermaphroditus is broadly distributed within mangrove microhabitas along the Brazilian coast (Lira et al ., ; Tatarenkov et al .…”

“…splink.org.br), NEODAT II (www.mnrj.ufrj.br/search1p.htm) and Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF; gbif.org). Specialized taxonomic literature was also consulted (Britzke et al, 2016;Buckup et al, 2007;Costa, 2008;Costa & Vono, 2009;Fowler, 1941;Gurgel-Lourenço et al, 2013;Jerep & Malabarba, 2014;Novaes et al, 2013;Ramos et al, 2005Ramos et al, , 2013Reis et al, 2003;Rosa & Groth, 2004;Zawadzki et al, 2017) along with systematic compilations of MNCE freshwater fishes (Costa et al, 2017a(Costa et al, , 2017bLima et al, 2017;Nascimento et al, 2014;Paiva et al, 2014;Rodrigues-Filho et al, 2016;Rosa et al, 2003;Silva et al, 2014Silva et al, , 2017.…”