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Corresponding author: Alexander Urbano-Bonilla ( bio.ictiologia@gmail.com ) Corresponding author: Tiago P. Carvalho ( pitiago@javeriana.edu.co ) Academic editor: Felipe Ottoni
© 2024 Alexander Urbano-Bonilla, Jorge E. Garcia-Melo, Mateo Esteban Peña-Bermudez, Omar Eduardo Melo-Ortiz, Oscar Stiven Ordoñez, Sandra Bibiana Correa, Tiago P. Carvalho, Javier A. Maldonado-Ocampo.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC0 Public Domain Dedication.
Citation:
Urbano-Bonilla A, Garcia-Melo JE, Peña-Bermudez ME, Melo-Ortiz OE, Ordoñez OS, Correa SB, Carvalho TP, Maldonado-Ocampo JA (2024) Fishes (Actinopterygii) of the rapids and associated environments in the lower Vaupés River Basin: an undiscovered Colombian Amazon diversity. ZooKeys 1203: 131-158. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1203.100642
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The Vaupés River stands out as one of the few within the Amazon basin due to its numerous rapids. These riverine fast-flowing sections not only provide habitat to highly specialized fishes but also function as natural barriers hindering the movement of fish along its course. During a fish-collecting expedition in the lower Vaupés River basin in Colombia, 95 species were registered belonging to 30 families and seven orders. Despite recent inventories in the region, our comprehensive sampling efforts particularly focused on the rapids and associated rheophilic fauna, allowing us to contribute the first records of four fish species in Colombia (Myloplus lucienae Andrade, Ota, Bastos & Jégu, 2016, Tometes makue Jégu, Santos & Jégu, 2002, also first record of the genus, Leptodoras praelongus (Myers & Weitzman, 1956), and Eigenmannia matintapereira Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015) and six presumably undescribed species (i.e., Jupiaba sp., Moenkhausia sp., Phenacogaster sp., Bunocephalus sp., Hemiancistrus sp., and Archolaemus sp.). In this study, a commented list of the ichthyofauna of these environments is presented, as well as a photographic catalog of fish species integrated into the CaVFish Project – Colombia.
Conservation, freshwater, Neotropical fishes, new records, PhotaFish System, range expansion, taxonomy
The Neotropical Region is the biogeographic region with the highest number of freshwater fish species globally, and recent estimates suggest approximately 9,000 species (
The River Negro Basin, of which Vaupés River is a major tributary, has a rich ichthyofauna, with 1,165 species known to science. A large portion of these species are shared with adjacent basins (i.e., Orinoco), but ~ 15% are endemic (156 species;
Despite historic and contemporary sampling efforts, the Vaupés River remains largely under-sampled mainly because of its remote geographical location and numerous rapids, preventing access and navigation. Also, after putting an end to a 60-year conflict between the Colombian state and one of the oldest guerrilla organizations in the world (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo FARC-EP), biological expeditions were carried out filling an important information gap relative to this previously unreachable area (
Here we describe the results of an expedition to the lower Vaupés River basin with the goal of investigating fish species associated with the rapids and surrounding environments in the Vaupés arc (Miocene ≈ 10 Mya; see Fig.
Location of the Vaupés River in Colombia and distribution of sampling sites along the lower Vaupés River. Key: pink triangle – Trubón Community Rapids; green triangle – Villa Fátima Community Rapids; red triangle – Nana Community Rapids; yellow triangle – Macucú Community Rapids; white triangle – Matapí Community Rapids, and blue triangle – military base.
This study was carried out in the lower Vaupés River basin in Colombia, more specifically in the Municipality of Mitú, Department of Vaupés. The fish collections were conducted within the indigenous communities of Trubón, Villa Fátima, Nana, Macucú, and Matapí (Fig.
We sampled along a stretch of ~ 140 km of the main river course. Fish collection follows animal care guidelines provided by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists 2013 (https://www.asih.org/resources).
Collections were conducted during the low water period (from February 21 to March 3, 2019), in which we carried standardized sampling with different fishing gear in rapids and surrounding habitats. Four monofilament nylon gillnets: two multi-panel gill nets, 25 m long × 2.5 m depth with five equal length panels of different mesh sizes (2.54, 3.81, 5.08, 6.35, and 7.62 cm stretched mesh size); one 50 m long and one 100 m long, both 14.7 cm stretched mesh size, were deployed at rapids, shallow areas of the main channel, and beaches directly below rapids for 3 hours (morning and night; 6 hrs total per day). Beaches were additionally sampled by five passes with beach seines (3 m long, 2 m high, and 0.5 cm mesh size) and ten cast net throws. Five passes were made with a seine net (3 m long, 2 m high, and 0.5 cm mesh) in streams surrounding the rapids during the day (Fig.
Each species was photographed alive in the field using the PhotaFish System (
The collected specimens were euthanized by overdose with clove oil (Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. y Perry, 1939, 0.3 ml/0.25L;
Unfortunately, a small portion of these fishes were lost during the expedition and therefore were represented only by photographs (or pictures + tissue samples) and are not associated with vouchered specimens.
In the lower Vaupes River, in total, we sampled 16 sites (Figs
Description of sampled sites in the lower Vaupés River, Amazon basin, Colombia. Coordinates in degrees, minutes, seconds’ format, and altitude in meters above sea level. Localities are ordered by altitude.
Locality description | GPS coordinates | Altitude |
---|---|---|
Sandy beach on Vaupés River at Resguardo Trubón | 1°12'8"N, 70°2'20"W | 164 |
Caño Danta creek tributary to Vaupés River near Villa Fátima | 0°58'57"N, 69°56'9"W | 168 |
Vaupés river rapids area, in front of Villa Fátima | 0°58'21"N, 69°56'58"W | 150 |
Sandy beach on Vaupés River at Villa Fátima | 0°58'33"N, 69°56'47"W | 148 |
Sandy beach and rocky shore on Vaupés River downstream Villa Fátima | 0°59'16"N, 69°55'36"W | 148 |
Vaupés River at rapids in front of community of Naná | 0°59'44"N, 69°54'48"W | 147 |
Macucú Rapids and sandy beach at community of Macucú | 0°59'22"N, 69°53'39"W | 144 |
Vaupés River near Militar Base | 1°4'46"N, 69°50'18"W | 144 |
Downstream of the rapids of Caño Almidón, tributary to Vaupés River, upstream of community of Matapí | 1°5'11"N, 69°23'1"W | 150 |
Creek tributary to Vaupés River near community of Matapí | 1°5'5"N, 69°22'5"W | 146 |
Sandy beach at Vaupés River upstream cachivera Tapira Geral near community of Matapí | 1°5'21"N, 69°22'27"W | 138 |
Sandy beach at community of Matapí | 1°4'49"N, 69°21'50"W | 134 |
Laguna Arcoiris, small lagoon adjacent to Vaupés River at community of Matapí | 1°4'48"N, 69°22'23"W | 133 |
Sandy beach ~ 300 m downstream cachivera Tapira Geral near community of Matapí | 1°4'49"N, 69°22'20"W | 133 |
Caño Colibrí, near community of Matapí | 1°4'47"N, 69°21'54"W | 132 |
Sandy beach and rocky shore on Vaupés River River at community of Matapí | 1°4'49"N, 69°21'45"W | 129 |
We collected 95 species (Tables
Order | Family | % | Genus | % | Species | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Characiformes | 15 | 50 | 30 | 46.88 | 54 | 56.84 |
Siluriformes | 8 | 26.67 | 19 | 29.69 | 21 | 22.11 |
Bleniiformes | 3 | 10 | 7 | 10.94 | 10 | 10.53 |
Gymnotiformes | 1 | 3.33 | 4 | 6.25 | 4 | 4.21 |
Acanthuriformes | 1 | 3.33 | 2 | 3.13 | 4 | 4.21 |
Gobiiformes | 1 | 3.33 | 1 | 1.56 | 1 | 1.05 |
Synbranchiformes | 1 | 3.33 | 1 | 1.56 | 1 | 1.05 |
30 | 100 | 64 | 100 | 95 | 100 |
List of fish species collected in the lower Vaupés River and their respective voucher numbers at MPUJ, figure numbers, and literature that support taxonomic identification. Species with 1 represent new records for Colombia; 2 represents putative new species; and 3 represents records not included in
ORDER/Family/Species | Voucher | fig. | Literature |
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CHARACIFORMES | |||
Acestrorhynchidae | |||
Acestrorhynchus microlepis (Jardine, 1841) | uncatalogued, photo voucher only | Suppl. material |
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Anostomidae | |||
Gnathodolus bidens Myers, 1927 | MPUJ 14496 | Suppl. material |
Mendes and Jégu 1987 |
Leporinus brunneus Myers, 1950 | MPUJ 14504, 14507 | Suppl. material |
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Leporinus fasciatus (Bloch, 1794) | MPUJ 14369, 14478 | Suppl. material |
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Leporinus niceforoi Fowler, 1943 3 | MPUJ 14476, 14539 | Suppl. material |
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Leporinus yophorus Eigenmann, 1922 3 | MPUJ 14506 | Suppl. material |
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Bryconidae | |||
Brycon pesu Müller & Troschel, 1845 | MPUJ 14382, 14389, 14405, 14449, 14472, 14473, 14516, 14517, 14531, 14383 | Suppl. material |
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Characidae | |||
Bryconamericus orinocoensis Román-Valencia, 2003 | MPUJ 14379, 14386, 14423, 14438, 16524 | Suppl. material |
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Creagrutus maxillaris (Myers, 1927) | MPUJ 14388, 14428, 14429, 14430, 14534 | Suppl. material |
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Creagrutus vexillapinnus Vari & Harold, 2001 3 | MPUJ 14394, 14413, 14434 | Suppl. material |
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Hemigrammus analis Durbin, 1909 | MPUJ 14480, 14486 | Suppl. material |
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Hemigrammus bellottii (Steindachner, 1882) | MPUJ 14455, 14456, 14484, 14491, 14546 | Suppl. material |
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Hemigrammus geisleri Zarske & Géry, 2007 3 | MPUJ 14421, 14540, 16520 | Suppl. material |
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Hemigrammus luelingi Géry, 1964 | MPUJ 14545 | Suppl. material |
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Jupiaba anteroides (Géry, 1965) | MPUJ 14487 | Suppl. material |
|
Jupiaba scologaster (Weitzman & Vari, 1986) 3 | MPUJ 14436, 16515 | Suppl. material |
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Jupiaba zonata (Eigenmann, 1908) | MPUJ 14435 | Suppl. material |
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Jupiaba sp. 2 | MPUJ 14385, 14424, 14440, 14446, 14467, 14475, 14488, 14538, 14370 | Suppl. material |
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Knodus sp. 1 3 | MPUJ 14447 | Suppl. material |
Van der Sleen et al. 2018 |
Knodus sp. 2 3 | MPUJ 14536 | Suppl. material |
Van der Sleen et al. 2018 |
Knodus sp. 3 | MPUJ 14452, 14407 | Suppl. material |
Van der Sleen et al. 2018 |
Microschemobrycon callops Böhlke, 1953 | MPUJ 14533 | Suppl. material |
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Microschemobrycon casiquiare Böhlke, 1953 | MPUJ 14422, 14448, 16521 | Suppl. material |
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Moenkhausia browni 3 Eigenmann, 1909 | MPUJ 14397, 16514, 16517 | Suppl. material |
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Moenkhausia ceros Eigenmann, 1908 | MPUJ 14366, 14541 | Suppl. material |
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Moenkhausia collettii (Steindachner, 1882) | MPUJ 14457, 14460, 14492, 14537, 14544 | Suppl. material |
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Moenkhausia cotinho Eigenmann, 1908 | MPUJ 14494 | Suppl. material |
|
Moenkhausia lata Eigenmann, 1908 | MPUJ 14432 | Suppl. material |
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Moenkhausia melogramma 3 Eigenmann, 1903 | MPUJ 14543, 14367, 14410, 14437 | Suppl. material |
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Moenkhausia mikia Marinho & Langeani, 2010 | MPUJ 14371, 14400, 14414, 14419, 14453, 14489, 14439 | Suppl. material |
|
Moenkhausia sp. 2 | MPUJ 14427, 14542, 14374, 14411, 14443 | Suppl. material |
|
Phenacogaster sp. 1 | MPUJ 14373, 14425 | Suppl. material |
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Phenacogaster sp. 2 2 | MPUJ 14390, 14364 | Suppl. material |
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Tetragonopterus chalceus Spix & Agassiz, 1829 | MPUJ 14483 | Suppl. material |
|
Chilodontidae | |||
Caenotropus labyrinthicus (Kner, 1858) 3 | MPUJ 14409, 14477, 16516 | Suppl. material |
|
Crenuchidae | |||
Characidium declivirostre Steindachner, 1915 3 | MPUJ 14497 | Suppl. material |
|
Characidium longum Taphorn, Montana & Buckup, 2006 | MPUJ 14365 | Suppl. material |
|
Characidium pteroides Eigenmann, 1909 3 | MPUJ 14384 | Suppl. material |
|
Ctenolucidae | |||
Boulengerella maculata (Valenciennes, 1850) | MPUJ 14502 | Suppl. material |
Vari 1995 |
Curimatidae | |||
Cyphocharax leucostictus (Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1889) | MPUJ 14376, 14399, 14418 | Suppl. material |
|
Cyphocharax spilurus (Gunther,1864) | MPUJ 14368, 14391 | Suppl. material |
|
Cynodontidae | |||
Hydrolycus wallacei Toledo-Piza, Menezes & Santos, 1999 | MPUJ 14547 | Suppl. material |
|
Gasteropelecidae | |||
Carnegiella strigata (Gunther, 1864) | MPUJ 14493 | Suppl. material |
|
Hemiodontidae | |||
Argonectes longiceps (Kner, 1858) | MPUJ 14554, 16519 | Suppl. material |
|
Bivibranchia fowleri (Steindachner, 1908) | MPUJ 14403, 14426, 14442, 14535, 14416 | Suppl. material |
|
Hemiodus thayeria Böhlke, 1955 | MPUJ 14377, 14444, 14514 | Suppl. material |
|
Iguanodectinae | |||
Bryconops giacopinii (Fernández -Yépez, 1950) | MPUJ 14462, 14463 | Suppl. material |
Chernoff and Machado-Alisson 2005 |
Bryconops collettei Chernoff & Machado-Alisson, 2005 3 | MPUJ 14461, 14464, 16523 | Suppl. material |
Chernoff and Machado-Alisson 2005 |
Lebiasinidae | |||
Copella nattereri (Steindachner, 1876) | MPUJ 14548 | Suppl. material |
|
Serrasalmidae | |||
Myloplus lucienae Andrade, Ota, Bastos, 2016 1 | MPUJ 14524, 14525, 14528 | Suppl. material |
|
Serrasalmus striolatus Steindachner, 19083 | Uncatalogued, photo voucher only | Suppl. material |
|
Serrasalmus manueli (Fernández-Yépez & Ramírez, 1967) | MPUJ 14417 | Suppl. material |
|
Tometes makue Jégu, Santos & Jégu, 2002 1 | MPUJ 14498, 14527, 14529, 14550, 14553 | Suppl. material |
|
Triportheidae | |||
Triportheus albus Cope, 1872 | MPUJ 16522 | Suppl. material |
|
SILURIFORMES | |||
Aspredinidae | |||
Bunocephalus sp.2 | MPUJ 14433 | Suppl. material |
|
Auchenipteridae | |||
Ageneiosus inermis (Linnaeus, 1766) | MPUJ 14515 | Suppl. material |
|
Tatia intermedia (Steindachner, 1877) | Uncatalogued, photo voucher only | Suppl. material |
|
Doradidae | |||
Amblydoras affinis Kner, 1855 | MPUJ 14398 | Suppl. material |
Birindelli and de Souza 2018 |
Centrodoras hasemani (Steindachner, 1915) 3 | Uncatalogued, photo voucher only | Suppl. material |
Birindelli and de Souza 2018 |
Doras phlyzakion Sabaj Pérez & Birindelli, 2008 3 | MPUJ 14521, 14523 | Suppl. material |
Sabaj Pérez and Birindelli 2008 |
Leptodoras praelongus (Myers & Weitzman, 1956) 3 | MPUJ 16518 | Suppl. material |
|
Tenellus ternetzi (Eigenmann, 1925) 3 | MPUJ 15522 | Suppl. material |
Birindelli and de Souza 2018 |
Heptapteridae | |||
Leptorhamdia nocturna (Myers, 1928) 3 | Uncatalogued, photo voucher only | Suppl. material |
|
Mastiglanis asopos Bockmann, 1994 | MPUJ 14392, 14469 | Suppl. material |
|
Pimelodella sp. | MPUJ 14402 | Suppl. material |
|
Loricariidae | |||
Ancistrus patronus de Souza, Taphorn & Armbruster, 2019 3 | MPUJ 14470, 14482 | Suppl. material |
|
Hemiancistrus sp. 2 | MPUJ 14509, 14519, 14520 | Suppl. material |
|
Loricaria cataphracta Linnaeus, 1758 | MPUJ 14401 | Suppl. material |
|
Rineloricaria cachivera Urbano-Bonilla, Londoño-Burbano & Carvalho, 2023 2 | MPUJ 14375, 14451, 14481, 14495 | Suppl. material |
|
Rineloricaria sp. 1 | MPUJ 14380, 14530 | Suppl. material |
|
Pimelodidae | |||
Pimelodus albofasciatus Mees, 1974 | MPUJ 14479, 14503 | Suppl. material |
|
Pimelodus ornatus Kner, 1858 | MPUJ 14518 | Suppl. material |
|
Pseudopimelodidae | |||
Pseudopimelodus bufonius (Valenciennes, 1840) | Uncatalogued, photo voucher only | Suppl. material |
|
Trichomycteridae | |||
Haemomaster venezuelae Myers, 1927 3 | MPUJ 14396, 14465 | Suppl. material |
|
Ochmacanthus reinhardtii (Steindachner, 1882) | MPUJ 14387, 14431 | Suppl. material |
|
GYMNOTIFORMES | |||
Sternopygidae | |||
Archolaemus sp. 2 | Uncatalogued, photo voucher only | Suppl. material |
|
Eigenmannia matintapereira Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 20151 | MPUJ 14420, 14501 | Suppl. material |
|
Eigenmannia sp. | MPUJ 14393 | Suppl. material |
|
Sternopygus macrurus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) | Uncatalogued, photo voucher only | Suppl. material |
|
GOBIIFORMES | |||
Eleotridae | |||
Microphilypnus ternetzi Myers, 1927 2 | MPUJ 14466 | Suppl. material |
|
BLENIIFORMES | |||
Belonidae | |||
Potamorrhaphis guianensis (Jardine, 1843) | MPUJ 14508 | Suppl. material |
|
Cichlidae | |||
Aequidens diadema (Heckel, 1840) 2 | MPUJ 14454, 14458, 14459, 14490, 14552 | Suppl. material |
|
Aequidens tetramerus (Heckel, 1840) 2 | MPUJ 14459 | Suppl. material |
|
Apistogramma sp. 1 | MPUJ 14450, 14471, 14549, 14372 | Suppl. material |
|
Apistogramma sp. 2 | MPUJ 14378, 14406, 14551, 14445 | Suppl. material |
|
Cichla temensis Humboldt, 1821 | MPUJ 14510 | Suppl. material |
|
Saxatilia alta (Eigenmann 1912) 2 | MPUJ 14474, 14532 | Suppl. material |
Ploeg, 1991; |
Lugubria lenticulata (Heckel 1840) | MPUJ 14505 | Suppl. material |
Ploeg, 1991; |
Geophagus abalios López-Fernández & Taphorn, 2004 | MPUJ 14381, 14404, 14415, 14468, 14513, 14526 | Suppl. material |
|
Rivulidae | |||
Anablepsoides sp. | MPUJ 14485 | Suppl. material |
|
SYNBRANCHIFORMES | |||
Synbranchidae | |||
Synbranchus marmoratus Bloch, 1795 | MPUJ 14500 | Suppl. material |
|
ACANTHURIFORMES | |||
Sciaenidae | |||
Pachyurus gabrielensis Casatti, 2001 | MPUJ 14412, 14441 | Suppl. material |
|
Pachyurus junki Soares & Casatti, 2000 | MPUJ 14511 | Suppl. material |
|
Pachyurus schomburgki Gunther, 1860 | MPUJ 14512 | Suppl. material |
|
Plagioscion squamosissimus (Haeckel, 1840) | Uncatalogued, photo voucher only | Suppl. material |
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This article is one of the first to implement a workflow that associates photographs of live specimens in the field with the meticulous taxonomy carried out in the laboratory and its subsequent upload to the CaVFish Project, Colombia. Many of these species did not have adequate visual records in life, and therefore this study represent a great advance in the knowledge of the ichthyofauna of the Vaupés River, both for specialists and for the broader public. All species photographed can be accessed from the project page using the following URL: https://cavfish.unibague.edu.co.
This study records for the first time in Colombia the following four species: Myloplus lucienae Andrade, Ota, Bastos & Jégu, 2016, Tometes makue Jégu, Santos & Jégu, 2002 also a first record of the genus, Leptodoras praelongus (Myers & Weitzman, 1956), and Eigenmannia matintapereira Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015. These species were absent from recent lists of fish species of Colombia (
Specimens collected in this expedition contributed three lots (MPUJ 14524-3 spec.; 14525-1 spec.; 14528-1 spec.; Fig.
There are five lots from our expedition (MPUJ 14498-7 spec.; 14527-1 spec.; 14529-1 spec.; 14550-1 spec.; 14553-1 spec.; Fig.
There is a single lot from our expedition (MPUJ 16518-2 spec.; Fig.
There are two lots from our expedition (MPUJ 14420-1 spec.; 14501-4 spec.; Fig.
We found six undescribed species in the lower Vaupés River in Colombia. When verifying their diagnostic characters, they did not coincide with recent taxonomic revisions of each of the genera (Fig.
There are several lots from our expedition of an undescribed species of Jupiaba (MPUJ 14385-13 spec.; 14424-3 spec.; 14440-1 spec.; 14446-8 spec.; 14467-5.; 14475-8 spec.; 14488-2 spec.; 14538-1 spec.; 14370; Table
There are two lots from our expedition (MPUJ 14390-5 spec.; MPUJ 14364-1 spec.; Table
There are seven lots from our expedition (MPUJ 14542-11 spec.; 14543-2 spec.; 14408-13 spec.; 14411-5 spec.; 14427-7 spec.; 14443-7 spec.; 14374-3 spec.; Table
There is a single record from our expedition (MPUJ 14433-1 spec; Table
The specimen illustrated in Fig.
There are several records from our expedition (MPUJ 14509-4 spec.; 14519-4 spec.; 14520-1 spec.; Table
The Amazon Basin has the greatest freshwater fish biodiversity on the planet (
Based on these recent lists of fish species composition (
Although the Vaupés drainages located to the southwest of our study area have been well sampled (rivers Papuri, Cuduyari Paca, Mituceño, and Tiquié), this study adds new records for the country. Therefore, it is essential to continue monitoring fishes from rheophilic environments and especially those that live in the headwaters of the Vaupés (e.g., Itilla and Unilla rivers; see Fig.
Two new records for Colombia are represented by the serrasalmids Myloplus lucienae and Tometes makue. From the expeditions of Alfred Russel Wallace (1850–1852) along the Vaupés River, there are illustrations of 43 specimens, representing ~ 40 serrasalmid species (
Before the present record of Myloplus lucienae in Colombia, the genus was represented by four species in the country, M. asterias (Müller & Troschel, 1844), M. rubripinnis (Müller & Troschel, 1844), M. schomburgkii (Jardine, 1841), and M. torquatus (Kner, 1858). The genus Tometes, however, was not yet recorded in Colombia (
In T. makue, the stomach contents of adult specimens reveal that Podostemaceae plants represent a very important part of the diet of these fishes (
Between 1923 and 1925 ichthyologist Dr. Carl Ternetz traveled the Amazon from Manaus, up the Negro River and across to the Orinoco River, accruing collections that resulted in descriptions of several new species (Lima et al. 2005). During this expedition, the collected specimens of a fish would be described as Hassar praelongus Myers & Weitzman, 1956 (currently Leptodoras praelongus) 38 years later, distributed in Brazil and Venezuela (
Within the electric glassfishes, we recorded new species for Colombia in the genus Eigenmannia Jordan & Evermann, 1896. This genus represents the most diverse group in the family Sternopygidae and is distributed throughout Central and South America (
Contrary to what was observed in the upper part of the Tiquié River, the rapids of the Vaupés River in Colombia (e.g., Fig.
Records are located in the Vaupés Arc, a Miocene origin arch that represents the divide between the Amazon-Orinoco river basins, and represents a semi-permeable barrier for fish dispersal (
From another territorial perspective, the historical and traditional knowledge of indigenous communities makes it possible to identify the anthropic displacement of species for subsistence purposes in the Amazon basin (Lima et al. 2005;
Transporting fish species among subbasins of the upper Vaupés River in Colombia threatens both the aquatic biodiversity and the fisheries production of this region. The historical and traditional records reveal the introduction of non-native species, mostly cichlids [(e.g., Lugubria johanna, Heros sp., Mesonauta insignis (Heckel, 1840), Satanoperca jurupari)] and an Erythrinidae (Hoplias lacerdae Ribeiro, 1908) in the upper Tiquié (Lima et al. 2005; Campuzano-Zuluaga, 2019) that could be related to the decline in the populations of the region’s native fish fauna, and threaten the security and food security of the peoples present there (Campuzano-Zuluaga, 2019). Although these species are widely distributed in the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guyanese Shield basins (
Regarding cichlids, an example of the extinction of the endemic fauna is known when Lates niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) was introduced to Lake Victoria (
In the Amazon Basin, sub-basins with greater accessibility (i.e., shorter travel times from cities or closer to river ports) generally experience greater inventory effort in terms of location density and number of years inventoried, if compared to sites with less accessibility, which is one of the main limitations in fish inventories (
The Vaupés River born in the foothills of the eastern Colombian mountain range and flows through outcrops of the Guiana Shield and sandy-soils of the Amazonian lowlands. The water chemistry of this basin is therefore a combination of sediment-rich Andean whitewaters (Unilla river sub-basin; see Fig.
This study contributes new fish records for the Vaupes Arch region, a biodiverse but poorly explored region of the Colombian Amazon of high geological importance with extensive and well-preserved forested and aquatic habitats. Thes results increase the documented fish diversity of this region to 95 species, identify several putatively new species to science, and further document geographic and habitat distribution patterns. Continued systematic sampling of this region at larger spatial and temporal scales will advance progress in the knowledge of the species, populations, communities, and their habitats, especially the rapids of the Vaupés River. The taxonomic lists and high-resolution photographs made available from on public consultation platforms (CaVFfish Project - Colombia), represent important resources for monitoring, conservation, and fisheries management of the Vaupés River basin, at local, regional, national and international levels for waters shared among Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia.
We want to thank several people in indigenous communities in the region for their support: William González-Torres y Arturo Hernández (Trubón community, Cubeo ethnic group), Emilio Márquez y Anderson Márquez (Villa Fátima community, Guanano ethnic group); Adelmo Santacruz (Nana community, Guanano ethnic group); Jaider Ramírez-Samaniego (Macucú community, Desano ethnic group), Julio V. Vélez y Silvio Vélez (Matapi community, Desano ethnic group). Additionally, we thank the following people for help during the expedition Alejandro Campuzano-Zuluaga (Fundación Conservando); Luis F. Jaramillo-Hurtado (Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones Científicas SINCHI), and Mariana A. Moscoso (Ictiología y Cultura). Thanks to Alejandro Londoño-Burbano, Angela Zanata; Bárbara Calegari; Cárlison Oliveira, Carlos DoNascimiento, Dario Faustino-Fuster, Fernando Jerep, Fernando Carvalho, Flávio Lima, Guilherme Dutra, Gustavo Ballen, Henrique Varella, Hernan López Fernandez, Henry Agudelo, José Birindelli, Manoela Marinho, Marcelo Andrade, Matthew Kolmann, Nathan Lujan, Mark Sabaj, and Priscila Madoka Ito, for help with the taxonomic identification of species. We also thank Saul Prada Pedreros for curatorial assistance in the Museo Javeriano de Historia Natural (MPUJ) fish collection, where the fishes are housed.
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
No ethical statement was reported.
National Geographic funded the expedition (Grant # 8981-11 to S.B. Correa). The assemblage of this species list received the support from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana with the “Carta Encíclica Laudato Si” grant in the project entitled “Ictiología y Cultura: Aproximación biológica y cultural a los datos obtenidos en la expedición en las cachiveras del río Vaupés” (#20112). S.B. Correa was supported by the Forest and Wildlife Research Center of Mississippi State University, USA (MISZ-081700).
AU-B: Field data collection and laboratory analysis; study design, data analysis, and manuscript writing. JEG-M: Field data collection, photography (PhotaFish), and data processing and analysis (CaVFish Project). MEP-B: Data collection and laboratory photography. OEM-O: Collection and analysis of laboratory data. OSO: Laboratory data collection and analysis. SBC: Field data collection; analysis of the information and writing of the manuscript. TPC: data analysis, and writing of the manuscript. JMO: Field data collection and project manager.
Alexander Urbano-Bonilla https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0190-8913
Jorge E. Garcia-Melo https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2885-5652
Mateo Esteban Peña-Bermudez https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3900-3826
Sandra Bibiana Correa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4466-6923
Tiago P. Carvalho https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5901-1634
All of the data that support the findings of this study are available in the main text or Supplementary Information.
Photographic atlas of voucher specimens
Data type: docx
Explanation note: Photographic atlas of voucher specimens collected on the lower Vaupés River, Vaupés, Colombia. Measurements are presented as standard length (SL). All species photographed in life are uploaded to the CaVFish Colombia Project.