Ichthyofauna from three streams of the lower Iguatemi River in the upper Paraná river basin, Brazil

Abstract

The ichthyofauna from 3 streams (Água Boa, Perobão, and Santa Maria) to the lower Iguatemi River were inventoried, which is located in the upper Paraná river basin, in Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. Sites in the upper, intermediate, and lower portions of each stream were quarterly electrofished from March to December 2008. All sampled fish (n = 6,816 individuals) represented 43 species of 5 orders, and 16 families. The most abundant species was Phalloceros harpagos (63.5%), followed by Astyanax aff. paranae (10.6%), Hypostomus ancistroides (5.9%), Gymnotus inaequilabiatus (3.4%), and Knodus moenkhausii (2.7%). Despite the high ichthyofauna richness in the lower portion of Iguatemi River, the need to implement and/or expand soil conservation practices and riparian forest restoration is of utmost importance to maintain these populations in the long term.