Patterns of habitat segregation among large fishes in a Venezuelan floodplain river

Abstract

Distribution and abundance of large fishes (SL>100 mm) in the río Cinaruco, a floodplain river in the Venezuelan llanos, were examined by gill net sampling in four habitat types: sand banks, backwater creeks, floodplain lagoons, and river channel. Sampling was standardized using nets (25 m x 2 m) of three mesh sizes set for 24-h periods. Based on data from >10,000 hours of gill netting over three years, there were significant differences in assemblage composition among the four habitats. Pair-wise comparisons …