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. 2017 Nov 13:(715):39-51.
doi: 10.3897/zookeys.715.13865. eCollection 2017.

Ichthyofauna of Ceará-Mirim River basin, Rio Grande do Norte State, northeastern Brazil

Nathalia Kaluana Rodrigues da Costa  1 , Roney Emanuel Costa de Paiva  1   2 , Márcio Joaquim da Silva  1   2 , Telton Pedro Anselmo Ramos  1 , Sergio Maia Queiroz Lima  1
Affiliations

Ichthyofauna of Ceará-Mirim River basin, Rio Grande do Norte State, northeastern Brazil

Nathalia Kaluana Rodrigues da Costa et al. Zookeys. .

Abstract

Ichthyological studies in coastal basins of the Mid-Northeastern Caatinga ecoregion were first conducted in the early 20th century, including collections from the Ceará-Mirim River basin, in northeastern Brazil. Besides a few systematics and ecological studies, the knowledge on fishes from this watershed is still considered partial and restricted to the freshwater portion. Thus, the objective of this paper was to conduct a comprehensive ichthyological survey of the entire Ceará-Mirim River basin, from the headwaters to the estuarine area. Fish surveys were conducted from 2011 to 2016 using varied fishing gear, resulting in the record of 63 native species (24 freshwater, 15 estuarine, and 24 marine species) and two introduced species. Four species are putatively endemic to the ecoregion, and 48 consist of new records for the basin. According to the Brazilian's threatened fish list, three species are currently classified as 'vulnerable' (Megalops atlanticus, Hippocampus reidi and Mycteroperca bonaci), four as 'near threatened' (Kryptolebias hermaphroditus, Dormitator maculatus, Lutjanus sygnagris and L. jocu) and three as 'data deficient' (Cheirodon jaguaribensis, Mugil curema and Sphoeroides testudineus). The Ceará-Mirim River basin does not have any protected areas and has been suffering multiple anthropogenic impacts, however the "Centro Tecnológico de Aquicultura" (Aquaculture Technological Center) of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (CTA/UFRN) at the lower portion of the basin may help in the conservation of the estuarine and estuarine fish species.

Keywords: Mid-Northeastern Caatinga Ecoregion; coastal basin; estuarine ichthyofauna; fishes of Caatinga and Atlantic Forest; inventory.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Map of the Ceará-Mirim River basin in Rio Grande do Norte State, northeastern Brazil, showing the sampling sites. Natal, the largest urban center of the state and location of the Potengi River estuary, is indicated by a black dot. Numbers are in accordance to Table 1.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Subset of the ichthyofauna of the Ceará-Mirim River basin, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil. A Leporinus piau B Serrapinnus piaba C Trachelyopterus galeatus D Sciades herzbergii E Hypostomus pusarum F Kryptolebias hermaphroditus G Cichlasoma orientale H Guavina guavina I Gobionellus oceanicus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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