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Corresponding author: Douglas de Castro Ribeiro ( dcribeiro.bio@gmail.com ) Academic editor: Nina Bogutskaya
© 2019 Douglas de Castro Ribeiro, Jumma Miranda Araújo Chagas, Mariana Ribeiro Thereza, Francisco Langeani.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Ribeiro DC, Chagas JMA, Thereza MR, Langeani F (2019) Checklist and key for the identification of fish fauna of the Uberaba River, Upper Paraná River system, Brazil. ZooKeys 875: 129-155. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.875.31977
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The Uberaba River is an important right-bank tributary to the Grande River, in the Upper Paraná River system, Brazil, and the main water source for the public supply of the Uberaba city, Minas Gerais state. An inventory, an identification key, and photographs of the fish species of the Uberaba River are provided, based on samples made between 2012 and 2014 at 14 sampling sites in the river system. A total of 73 species was recorded from six orders, 20 families, and 49 genera. Characiformes and Siluriformes are the most speciose orders and Characidae and Loricariidae are the most commonly recorded families. Most species are autochthonous, nine are considered allochthonous, and two species are exotic. The Uberaba River has a diverse and heterogeneous ichthyofauna, typical of rheophilic environments, with endemic species and few non-native species.
Brazilian Cerrado, freshwater fish, Neotropical Region, rheophilic environment, threatened species
Approximately 34,797 species of fish have been formally described worldwide (
With geological origin dating from the Mesozoic (Neocretaceous), the La Plata River has an estimated drainage area of ca. 3 million km² across five countries, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay, and is the second largest drainage in South America, with the main drainages the Paraná-Paraguay drainage and Uruguay River (
The Upper Paraná River, according to
The Uberaba River is a right-bank tributary of the Grande River, in the Upper Paraná River system, Brazil, and it is the main water source for Uberaba city in Minas Gerais state. In the driest period, the water level of the Uberaba River is very low and it is not able to be the only source of public water supply to the Uberaba city. This problem becomes worse with the intensive anthropogenic impact on the environment which results in modifications of hydrological dynamics and associated biotic structures (
The fish fauna of the Uberaba River is only partially known, with only few sections sampled and no seasonal investigations (see
The Uberaba River catchment area is located in the southeastern region of Minas Gerais state, Brazil, center-south of the Triângulo Mineiro region, 19°30'37"S – 20°07'40"S; 47°39'2"W – 48°34'34"W (Figure
The average annual precipitation in the region ranges between 1,300 mm and 1,700 mm, characterized by a rainy period of six to seven months (October to March) and the driest period (April to September) with less than 60 mm. The thermal regime is defined by an average annual temperature ranging from 20 to 24° Celsius, with a minimum of 18° C in colder months (June/July). These climatic factors characterize two major seasons in the region, one, cold and dry, between autumn and winter, and the other, hot and rainy, between spring and summer (
The collections were carried out between 2012 and 2014 in 14 sampling sites (Figures
Description of sampling sites (S1 to S14) of the Uberaba River, Upper Paraná River system, Brazil.
Site | Locality | Coordinates | Elevation | Characteristics |
---|---|---|---|---|
S1 | Serra do Grotão, headspring of the Uberaba River, on the margins of BR 262, Ponte Alta, MG | 19.40575S, 47.405430W | 1015 | Lentic environment; organic sediment and sand as substrate; clear and warm water, 1 m deep; abundant aquatic plants |
S2 | Small stream (no name), unpaved road at BR262, tributary of Veríssimo River, Veríssimo, MG | 19.39538S; 48.181390W | 622 | Lotic environment, medium flow; clay as substrate; shallow water, less than 80 cm deep; few marginal plants |
S3 | Small stream (no name), unpaved road at Mula Preta farm, tributary of the Lageado River, Uberaba, MG | 19.45312S; 47.484494W | 715 | Medium flow stream; sand and clay as substrate; turbid water; less than 1.5 m deep; riparian vegetation and open areas |
S4 | Small stream (no name), into APP Vale encantado, tributary of the Saudade stream, Uberaba, MG | 19.33573S; 47.534852W | 901 | Lentic environment; organic sediment and sand as substrate; clear and warm water; 0.5 m depth; few aquatic plants |
S5 | Alegria stream, unpaved road at Alegria farm, tributary of the Uberaba River, Uberaba, MG | 19.40224S; 47.522022W | 803 | Lotic environment, medium flow; clay soil as a substrate; shallow and turbid water, 1 m depth; dense riparian forest and pasture area |
S6 | Small stream (no name), Rocinha farm, unpaved road at Pará Pereira Gomes road, tributary of the Lageado stream, Uberaba, MG | 19.41135S; 47.542032W | 778 | Lotic environment, medium flow; sand and leaves as substrate; shallow and crystalline waters, 30 cm deep; riparian forest sparse |
S7 | Uberaba River, below of the PCH Monjolo, Veríssimo, MG | 19.41466S; 48.113035W | 632 | Lotic environment, fast flowing, several rapids and small backwaters, basaltic rocks and sand as substrate, riparian vegetation well preserved. |
S8 | Uberaba River, Conceição das Alagoas, MG | 19.54288S; 48.23155W | 495 | Lotic environment, fast flowing, several rapids and small backwaters, basaltic rocks and sand as substrate, riparian vegetation well preserved, urban effluent present. |
S9 | Ribeirão das Alagoas stream (or Eliezer stream), Eliezer farm, unpaved road at MG427, Conceição das Alagoas, MG | 19.58451S; 48.274545W | 495 | Medium-flow lotic environment; sand and clay as substrate; turbid waters, 1.5 m deep; degraded area |
S10 | Small stream (no name), unpaved road at a sanitary landfill, tributary of the Uberaba River, Conceição das Alagoas, MG | 19.55268S; 48.233689W | 507 | Lotic environment, low flow, clay soil as a substrate, very shallow water, less than 30 cm deep; few marginal plants, very degraded area |
S11 | Small stream (no name), 0.7 km at IFTM campus, affluent of the Uberaba River, Uberaba, MG | 19.67431S; 47.978456W | 779 | Medium flow stream, gravel and basaltic rocks as substrate; crystalline waters, 1 m deep, dense riparian vegetation |
S12 | Uberaba River, Carijó farm, 4.5 km upstream from Gorfo waterfall, Conceição das Alagoas, MG | 19.92382S; 48.404833W | 490 | Lotic environment, fast flow, several rapids, basaltic rocks and gravel as a substrate, well preserved riparian vegetation, urban effluent present. |
S13 | Ribeirão das Alagoas stream (or Eliezer stream), near the confluence with the Uberaba River, Conceição das Alagoas, MG | 19.97009S; 48.384722W | 506 | Lotic environment, medium flow, sand and clay as substrate, large basaltic rocks, turbid water, 1 m depth, degraded riparian vegetation |
S14 | Small stream (no name), unpaved road at Conceição das Alagoas city, tributary of the Uberaba River, Conceição das Alagoas, MG | 19.91363S; 48.375123W | 516 | Lotic environment, low flow, loam and sand as substrate; shallow water, 70 cm deep; many marginal grasses, degraded area |
Specimens were identified using appropriate literature sources (e.g.,
In total, 2,722 specimens were collected and assigned to 49 genera and 73 species. The identified taxa are listed in Table
List of fish species from the Uberaba River, Upper Paraná River system, Brazil. Vouchers and origin/status are provided.
Taxa | Voucher | Origin | |
---|---|---|---|
CHARACIFORMES | |||
Anostomidae | |||
1 | Leporinus amblyrhynchus Garavello & Britski, 1987 | DZSJRP15809 | Autochthonous |
2 | Leporinus friderici (Bloch, 1794) | uncataloged | Autochthonous |
3 | Leporinus octofasciatus Steindachner, 1915 | DZSJRP16097 | Autochthonous |
4 | Leporinus striatus Kner, 1858 | DZSJRP21396 | Autochthonous |
5 | Schizodon nasutus Kner, 1858 | DZSJRP21388 | Autochthonous |
Bryconidae | |||
6 | Brycon nattereri Günther, 1864 | DZSJRP17489 | Autochthonous/VU |
Characidae | |||
7 | Astyanax bockmanni Vari & Castro, 2007 | DZSJRP15819 | Autochthonous |
8 | Astyanax aff. fasciatus (Cuvier, 1819) | DZSJRP15818 | Autochthonous |
9 | Astyanax lacustris (Lütken, 1875) | DZSJRP21399 | Autochthonous |
10 | Astyanax aff. paranae Eigenmann, 1914 | DZSJRP17486 | Autochthonous |
11 | Astyanax paranae Eigenmann, 1914 | DZSJRP15823 | Autochthonous |
12 | Bryconamericus turiuba Langeani et al., 2005 | DZSJRP05533 | Autochthonous |
13 | Galeocharax gulo (Cope, 1870) | DZSJRP16096 | Allochthonous |
14 | Hasemania uberaba Serra & Langeani, 2015 | DZSJRP18781 | Autochthonous |
15 | Hyphessobrycon uaiso Carvalho & Langeani, 2013 | DZSJRP18783 | Autochthonous |
16 | Knodus aff. moenkhausii (Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1903) | DZSJRP15825 | Allochthonous |
17 | Oligosarcus pintoi Campos, 1945 | DZSJRP05553 | Autochthonous |
18 | Piabarchus stramineus (Eigenmann, 1908) | DZSJRP21383 | Autochthonous |
19 | Piabina argentea Reinhardt, 1867 | DZSJRP17487 | Autochthonous |
Serrasalmidae | |||
20 | Metynnis lippincottianus (Cope, 1870) | DZSJRP21397 | Allochthonous |
21 | Myloplus tiete (Eigenmann & Norris, 1900) | DZSJRP21398 | Autochthonous/EN |
22 | Serrasalmus maculatus Kner, 1858 | DZSJRP21386 | Autochthonous |
Curimatidae | |||
23 | Steindachnerina insculpta (Fernández-Yépez, 1948) | DZSJRP15812 | Autochthonous |
Erythrinidae | |||
24 | Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus (Spix & Agassiz, 1829) | DZSJRP21402 | Allochthonous |
25 | Hoplias intermedius (Günther, 1864) | DZSJRP21389 | Autochthonous |
26 | Hoplias aff. malabaricus (Bloch, 1794) | DZSJRP10546 | Autochthonous |
Parodontidae | |||
27 | Apareiodon affinis (Steindachner, 1879) | DZSJRP21391 | Autochthonous |
28 | Apareiodon ibitiensis Campos, 1944 | DZSJRP15813 | Autochthonous |
29 | Apareiodon piracicabae (Eigenmann, 1907) | DZSJRP16100 | Autochthonous |
30 | Parodon nasus Kner, 1859 | DZSJRP21400 | Autochthonous |
Crenuchidae | |||
31 | Characidium aff. zebra Eigenmann, 1909 | DZSJRP17484 | Autochthonous |
32 | Crenuchidae (undescribed genus and species) | DZSJRP15806 | Autochthonous |
Prochilodontidae | |||
33 | Prochilodus lineatus (Valenciennes, 1837) | DZSJRP21385 | Autochthonous |
GYMNOTIFORMES | |||
Sternopygidae | |||
34 | Eigenmannia trilineata López & Castello, 1966 | DZSJRP21392 | Autochthonous |
Gymnotidae | |||
35 | Gymnotus inaequilabiatus (Valenciennes, 1839) | uncataloged | Allochthonous |
36 | Gymnotus sylvius Albert & Fernandes-Matioli, 1999 | DZSJRP16101 | Autochthonous |
SILURIFORMES | |||
Callichthyidae | |||
37 | Aspidoras fuscoguttatus Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976 | DZSJRP18785 | Autochthonous |
38 | Corydoras difluviatilis Britto & Castro, 2002 | DZSJRP15824 | Autochthonous |
39 | Megalechis thoracata (Valenciennes, 1840) | DZSJRP21106 | Allochthonous |
Heptapteridae | |||
40 | Imparfinis borodini Mees & Cala, 1989 | DZSJRP17488 | Autochthonous |
41 | Pimelodella avanhandavae Eigenmann, 1917 | DZSJRP21105 | Autochthonous |
42 | Rhamdia quelen (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) | DZSJRP16799 | Autochthonous |
43 | Rhamdiopsis sp. | DZSJRP15817 | Autochthonous |
Loricariidae | |||
44 | Curculionichthys insperatus (Britski & Garavello, 2003) | DZSJRP21120 | Autochthonous |
45 | Hypostomus albopunctatus (Regan, 1908) | DZSJRP21390 | Autochthonous |
46 | Hypostomus ancistroides (Ihering, 1911) | DZSJRP15810 | Autochthonous |
47 | Hypostomus butantanis (Ihering, 1911) | DZSJRP16098 | Autochthonous |
48 | Hypostomus fluviatilis (Schubart, 1964) | DZSJRP21114 | Autochthonous |
49 | Hypostomus aff. hermanni (Ihering, 1905) | DZSJRP21107 | Autochthonous |
50 | Hypostomus margaritifer (Regan, 1908) | DZSJRP02107 | Autochthonous |
51 | Hypostomus nigromaculatus (Schubart, 1964) | DZSJRP16103 | Autochthonous |
52 | Hypostomus aff. paulinus (Ihering, 1905) | DZSJRP21108 | Autochthonous |
53 | Hypostomus regani (Ihering, 1905) | DZSJRP21124 | Autochthonous |
54 | Hypostomus strigaticeps (Regan, 1908) | DZSJRP21125 | Autochthonous |
55 | Hypostomus topavae (Godoy, 1969) | DZSJRP21098 | Autochthonous |
56 | Loricaria lentiginosa Isbrücker, 1979 | uncataloged | Autochthonous |
57 | Microlepdogaster dimorpha Martins & Langeani, 2012 | DZSJRP18784 | Autochthonous |
58 | Proloricaria prolixa (Isbrücker & Nijssen, 1978) | DZSJRP16102 | Autochthonous |
59 | Rineloricaria latirostris (Boulenger, 1900) | DZSJRP15811 | Autochthonous |
Trichomycteridae | |||
60 | Trichomycterus brasiliensis Lütken, 1874 | DZSJRP21116 | Allochthonous |
61 | Trichomycterus candidus (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1949) | DZSJRP15820 | Autochthonous |
Auchenipteridae | |||
62 | Tatia neivai (Ihering, 1930) | DZSJRP21111 | Autochthonous |
CYPRINODONTIFORMES | |||
Cynolebiidae | |||
63 | Melanorivulus giarettai Costa, 2008 | DZSJRP18782 | Autochthonous |
Poeciliidae | |||
64 | Phalloceros harpagos Lucinda, 2008 | DZSJRP17485 | Autochthonous |
65 | Poecillia reticulata Peters, 1859 | DZSJRP17483 | Allochthonous |
CICHLIFORMES | |||
Cichlidae | |||
66 | Cichla piquiti Kullander & Ferreira, 2006 | DZSJRP21401 | Allochthonous |
67 | Cichlasoma paranaense Kullander, 1983 | DZSJRP21394 | Autochthonous |
68 | Coptodon rendalli (Boulenger, 1897) | DZSJRP05549 | Exotic |
69 | Crenicichla britskii Kullander, 1982 | DZSJRP21393 | Autochthonous |
70 | Crenicichla jaguarensis Haseman, 1911 | DZSJRP21387 | Autochthonous |
71 | Geophagus brasiliensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) | DZSJRP21395 | Autochthonous |
73 | Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) | uncataloged | Exotic |
SYNBRANCHIFORMES | |||
Synbranchidae | |||
73 | Synbranchus marmoratus Bloch, 1795 | DZSJRP21384 | Autochthonous |
Species collected (X) in each site (S1 to S14) of the Uberaba River, Upper Paraná River system, Brazil.
Species | Sites | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 | S7 | S8 | S9 | S10 | S11 | S12 | S13 | S14 | |
Apareiodon affinis | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
Apareiodon ibitiensis | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
Apareiodon piracicabae | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||
Aspidoras fuscoguttatus | X | |||||||||||||
Astyanax bockmanni | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||
Astyanax aff. fasciatus | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
Astyanax lacustris | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||
Astyanax paranae | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||
Astyanax aff. paranae | X | |||||||||||||
Brycon nattereri | X | X | ||||||||||||
Bryconamericus turiuba | X | X | ||||||||||||
Characidium aff. zebra | X | X | ||||||||||||
Cichla piquiti | X | |||||||||||||
Cichlasoma paranaense | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||
Coptodon rendalli | X | X | ||||||||||||
Corydoras difluviatilis | X | X | ||||||||||||
Crenicichla britskii | X | |||||||||||||
Crenicichla jaguarensis | X | |||||||||||||
Crenuchidae (undescribed genus and species) | X | |||||||||||||
Curculionichthys insperatus | X | |||||||||||||
Eigenmannia trilineata | X | |||||||||||||
Galeocharax gulo | X | |||||||||||||
Geophagus brasiliensis | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||
Gymnotus inaequilabiatus | X | |||||||||||||
Gymnotus sylvius | X | X | X | |||||||||||
Hasemania uberaba | X | |||||||||||||
Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus | X | X | ||||||||||||
Hoplias intermedius | X | X | ||||||||||||
Hoplias aff. malabaricus | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||
Hyphessobrycon uaiso | X | X | X | |||||||||||
Hypostomus albopunctatus | X | X | X | |||||||||||
Hypostomus ancistroides | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
Hypostomus butantanis | X | X | ||||||||||||
Hypostomus fluviatilis | X | |||||||||||||
Hypostomus aff. hermani | X | X | ||||||||||||
Hypostomus margaritifer | X | X | ||||||||||||
Hypostomus nigromaculatus | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
Hypostomus aff. paulinus | X | X | X | |||||||||||
Hypostomus regani | X | X | ||||||||||||
Hypostomus strigaticeps | X | X | X | |||||||||||
Hypostomus topavae | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
Imparfinis borodini | X | |||||||||||||
Knodus aff. moenkhausii | X | X | X | |||||||||||
Leporinus amblyrhynchus | X | X | X | |||||||||||
Leporinus friderici | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||
Leporinus octofasciatus | X | X | X | |||||||||||
Leporinus striatus | X | |||||||||||||
Loricaria lentiginosa | X | X | ||||||||||||
Megalechis thoracata | X | X | ||||||||||||
Melanorivulus giarettai | X | X | ||||||||||||
Metynnis lippincottianus | X | |||||||||||||
Microlepdogaster dimorpha | X | |||||||||||||
Myloplus tiete | X | X | ||||||||||||
Oligosarcus pintoi | X | |||||||||||||
Oreochromis niloticus | X | X | X | |||||||||||
Parodon nasus | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
Phalloceros harpagos | X | |||||||||||||
Piabarchus stramineus | X | X | ||||||||||||
Piabina argentea | X | X | ||||||||||||
Poecillia reticulata | X | X | X | |||||||||||
Prochilodus lineatus | X | |||||||||||||
Proloricaria prolixa | X | X | ||||||||||||
Rhamdia quelen | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||
Rhamdiopsis sp. | X | |||||||||||||
Rineloricaria latirostris | X | X | ||||||||||||
Schizodon nasutus | X | |||||||||||||
Serrasalmus maculatus | X | |||||||||||||
Steindachnerina insculpta | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||
Synbranchus marmoratus | X | X | X | |||||||||||
Tatia neivai | X | X | ||||||||||||
Trichomycterus brasiliensis | X | |||||||||||||
Trichomycterus candidus | X | |||||||||||||
Species richness | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 53 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 31 | 24 | 2 |
1 | Single mid-ventral gill opening; eel-shaped body | Synbranchus marmoratus |
– | Two laterally located gill openings; not eel-shaped body | 2 |
2 | Dorsal and pelvic fins absent; anal-fin rays more than 100 | 3 |
– | Dorsal fin present; pelvic fin commonly present; anal-fin rays up to 50 | 5 |
3 | Body uniformly clear with relatively inconspicuous longitudinal stripes; anal fin not reaching the tail end; terminal mouth, both jaws approximately equal | Eigenmannia trilineata |
– | Body dark with clear transverse bands; anal fin extending to the tail end; prognathous, lower jaw longer than upper jaw | 4 |
4 | Obliquely-oriented dark transversal bars fragmented, forming a pattern of irregular spots; anal-fin posterior membrane striped | Gymnotus inaequilabiatus |
– | Obliquely-oriented dark transversal bars not fragmented; anal-fin posterior region darkly pigmented or translucent | Gymnotus sylvius |
5 | Body naked or covered by bony plates | 6 |
– | Body covered by scales | 30 |
6 | Body covered by bony plates, at least partially | 7 |
– | Body covered by thick skin; bony plates absent | 24 |
7 | Mouth forming a ventral oral disk; bony plates rows on flanks 3–5 | 8 |
– | Mouth not forming ventral oral disk, with terminal or subterminal opening; bony plates rows on flank 2 | 22 |
8 | Adipose fin absent | 9 |
– | Adipose fin present | 12 |
9 | Caudal peduncle very elongate and depressed | 10 |
– | Caudal peduncle rounded or elliptical in cross-section | 13 |
10 | Lips with small papillae, occasionally with short, thick, non-filamentous projections | Rineloricaria latirostris |
– | Lips fringed, with filamentous projections | 11 |
11 | Head with dark brown spots, much smaller than the eye diameter | Loricaria lentiginosa |
– | Head light brown without spots | Proloricaria prolixa |
12 | Scapular bridge fully exposed; well-developed and pointed odontodes on the anterior portion of the snout | Curculionichthys insperatus |
– | Scapular bridge exposed only laterally; small and spatulate odontodes on the anterior portion of the snout | Microlepidogaster dimorpha |
13 | Body light with dark spots | 14 |
– | Body dark with light spots or vermiculations | 17 |
14 | Lateral keels on body present (three rows), with hypertrophied odontodes | Hypostomus ancistroides |
– | Lateral keels on body absent | 15 |
15 | Pectoral-fin spine claviform, with well-developed odontodes on distal portion; eyes small, 6–6.5 × in head length | Hypostomus nigromaculatus |
– | Pectoral-fin spine not claviform, with subequal odontodes along entire spine; eyes large, 3.5–5 × in head length | Hypostomus fluviatilis |
16 | Abdomen completely covered by plates; dentary angle more than 60°; bony plates between dorsal and adipose fins 5 pairs | Hypostomus topavae |
– | Abdomen without plates on pelvic-fin region; dentary angle approximately 45°; bony plates between dorsal and adipose fins 4 pairs | Hypostomu aff. hermani |
17 | Pectoral-fin spine equal to or shorter than pelvic-fin spine | Hypostomus albopunctatus |
– | Pectoral-fin spine longer than pelvic-fin spine | 18 |
18 | Premaxillary and dentary with short and sturdy teeth (18–32), arranged in obtuse angle | 19 |
– | Premaxillary and dentary with long and thin teeth (more than 35), arranged in acute angle | 20 |
19 | Body and fins with light spots, aligned longitudinally, but not forming continuous line | Hypostomus margaritifer |
– | Head and fins with light vermiculations, with four longitudinal yellow lines on flank, from dorsal fin to caudal-fin base | Hypostomus butantanis |
20 | Pectoral girdle covered with large plates; bony plates between anal and caudal fins 10 or 11; dentary teeth more than 140 | Hypostomus aff. paulinus |
– | Pectoral girdle covered with very small plates or skin; bony plates between anal and caudal fins 12 or 13; dentary teeth up to 130 | 21 |
21 | Mid-lateral plates series 28 or 29; snout-operculum distance greater than the width of the lips; dorsal fin large, reaching adipose fin; premaxillary and dentary teeth more than 65 | Hypostomus regani |
– | Mid-lateral plates series 25 or 26; snout-operculum distance equal to width of the lips; dorsal fin of moderate size, distant from adipose fin; premaxillary and dentary teeth up to 60 | Hypostomus strigaticeps |
22 | Mental barbels absent; jaws teeth present; nuchal plate covered by skin; caudal fin truncated | Megalechis thoracata |
– | Mental barbels present; jaws teeth absent; nuchal plate exposed; caudal fin forked | 23 |
23 | Supraoccipital long and reaching the nuchal plate; pectoral-fin rays anterior portion without posterior bone lamellae | Corydoras difluviatilis |
– | Supraoccipital short, not reaching the nuchal plate; pectoral-fin rays anterior portion with posterior bone lamellae (more evident in the first rays) | Aspidoras fuscoguttatus |
24 | Operculum and preoperculum with odontodes; dorsal-fin origin situated posterior the middle of the body | 25 |
– | Operculum and preoperculum without odontodes; dorsal-fin origin situated approximately at the middle of the body | 26 |
25 | Pelvic fin present | Trichomycterus brasiliensis |
– | Pelvic fin absent | Trichomycterus candidus |
26 | Adipose fin short, shorter than anal fin length; nuchal plate reaching the posterior portion of head | Tatia neivai |
– | Adipose fin long, approximately 2 × anal fin length; nuchal plate not reaching the posterior portion of head | 27 |
27 | Body very elongate, depth contained 8.0 × in standard length; 4 dark brown dorsal transverse bands (first at vertical passing at pectoral fin, second at vertical passing anterior portion of dorsal-fin base, third at vertical passing at last third of dorsal-fin base, and the last one at vertical passing at adipose-fin origin); eyes dorsally placed | Imparfinis borodini |
– | Body short, depth contained up to 6.0 × in standard length; dark brown dorsal transverse bands absent; eyes laterally placed | 28 |
28 | Body uniformly clear; longitudinal black stripe on flank present; maxillary barbels long, and reaching or surpassing the anal-fin origin | Pimelodella avanhadavae |
– | Body with small dark spots or irregular vermiculations; longitudinal black stripe on flank absent; maxillary barbels short, never reaching the anal-fin origin | 29 |
29 | Anal-fin rays up to 12; eyes large, approximately 5 × head length | Rhamdia quellen |
– | Anal-fin rays more than 15; eyes small, more than 7.5 × head length | Rhamdiopsis sp. |
30 | Dorsal and anal fins anterior rays modified into spines; pelvic fin in thoracic position, below of pectoral fin; lateral line divided into 2 branches, 1 anterior, near the base of the dorsal fin and another posterior, along the middle portion of the body and caudal peduncle; ctenoid scales | 31 |
– | Dorsal and anal fins anterior rays not modified into spines; pelvic fin posteriorly located, close to anal fin; lateral line not divided into 2 branches; cycloid or spinoid scales | 37 |
31 | Dorsal-fin spines separate from soft rays by notch | Cichla piquiti |
– | Dorsal-fin spines not separate from soft rays by notch | 32 |
32 | Body elongate (fusiform), 3.6–5.2 × in standard length; preoperculum posterior margin serrated | 33 |
– | Body deep, more than 3.5 × in standard length; preoperculum posterior margin smooth | 34 |
33 | Scales in longitudinal series 33–40; flank with black transverse bands; dorsal fin with XVI + 14 or 15 rays; anal fin with III + 9 or 10 rays; black humeral blotch present | Crenicichla britskii |
– | Scales in longitudinal series 41–50; flank without black transverse bands (crossing the longitudinal stripe); dorsal fin with XIX–XXI + 10–12 rays; anal fin with III + 7 or 8 rays; black humeral blotch absent | Crenicichla jaguarensis |
34 | Anterior lateral line with 19 or fewer scales; scales in longitudinal series 22–27; black lateral spot present | 35 |
– | Anterior lateral line with 20 or more scales; scales in longitudinal series 28–35; black lateral spot absent | 36 |
35 | Posterior lateral line with 10–14 scales; scales in longitudinal series 24–27; dorsal fin with XV or XVI + 10–13 rays; black lateral spot on flank larger than the eye diameter | Geophagus brasiliensis |
– | Posterior lateral line with 5–8 scales; scales in longitudinal series 22 or 23; dorsal fin with XIII or XV + 10–15 rays; black lateral spot approximately equal than the eye diameter | Cichlasoma paranaense |
36 | Scales in transverse series above the lateral line 3 or 3½; gill rakers in inferior branch of the first branchial arch 18 or more | Oreochromis niloticus |
– | Scales in transverse series above the lateral line 2 or 2½; gill rakers in inferior branch of the first branchial arch 15 or fewer | Coptodon rendalli |
37 | Top of head covered by scales; upper jaw protractile | 38 |
– | Top of head not covered by scales; upper jaw non-protractile | 40 |
38 | Dorsal fin closer to caudal fin than to middle of body; gonopodium absent | Melanorivulus giarettai |
– | Dorsal fin at middle of body; gonopodium present | 39 |
39 | Males with intense colored spots in life, black when preserved; females without spots; gonopodium with moderate size (3.2–3.6 × in standard length), with terminal portion almost straight | Poecilia reticulata |
– | Males and females with vertically elongate black spot on medium portion of flank; gonopodium long (2.6–3.1 × in standard length), with terminal portion trifid and ventrally oriented | Phalloceros harpagos |
40 | Teeth absent in adults | Steindachnerina insculpta |
– | Teeth present in all life stages | 41 |
41 | Teeth small, numerous and depressibly implanted in the lips | Prochilodus lineatus |
– | Teeth well-developed, non-depressibly implanted in the jaw bones | 42 |
42 | Body fusiform or moderately compressed laterally; abdominal serrae absent | 43 |
– | Body very compressed laterally; abdominal serrae present | 70 |
43 | Teeth incisiform (rabbit-like), truncated or cuspidate, premaxillary and dentary with 3 teeth each, premaxillary with 3 and dentary with 3 or 4 teeth, or premaxillary and dentary with 4 teeth each | 44 |
– | Teeth conical or multicuspid, no incisiform; teeth number variable, but not as above | 48 |
44 | Teeth cuspidate; flank silver in life, spots or bands absent; a conspicuous, horizontally elongate black spot at end of caudal peduncle extending to the median caudal-fin rays | Schizodon nasutus |
– | Teeth truncated; body with large black spots or longitudinal stripes; horizontally elongate black spot on end of caudal peduncle absent | 45 |
45 | Premaxillary and dentary with 4 teeth each; 3 large black spots on flank (first bellow dorsal fin, second above the anal-fin base and third at the end of caudal peduncle | Leporinus friderici |
– | Premaxillary with 3 teeth; dentary with 3 or 4 teeth, body with longitudinal black stripes or transverse bars, large black spots on flank absent | 46 |
46 | Premaxillary and dentary with 3 teeth each; black longitudinal stripe on flank present; dorsal dark transverse bars (but not reaching the longitudinal stripe) 10 or more; subterminal mouth; prominent snout | Leporinus amblyrhynchus |
– | Premaxillary with 3 teeth; dentary with 4 teeth; black dorsal transverse bars absent; terminal or subterminal mouth; non-prominent snout | 47 |
47 | Body elongate, depth 4.1 × in standard length; four longitudinal black stripes on flank; fins usually hyaline or slightly red | Leporinus striatus |
– | Body deep, depth 3.2 × in standard length; eight black transverse bars on flank; fins yellow, orange or red in life | Leporinus octofasciatus |
48 | Premaxillary teeth in 1 row | 49 |
– | Premaxillary teeth in 2 or more rows | 57 |
49 | Adipose fin absent; posterodorsal portion of head with straight margin; caudal fin rounded or truncate | 50 |
– | Adipose fin usually present; posterodorsal portion of head convex or with a posterior projection; caudal fin forked or emarginate | 52 |
50 | Dorsal-fin rays up to 11; pectoral, pelvic and anal fins without dark brown stripes; teeth canine on maxillary absent | Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus |
– | Dorsal-fin rays more than 12; pectoral, pelvic and anal fins with dark brown stripes; teeth canine on maxillary present | 51 |
51 | Medial margin of dentary bones parallel in ventral view; denticles on tongue absent | Hoplias intermedius |
– | Medial margin of dentary bones converging towards the symphysis in ventral view; denticles on tongue present | Hoplias aff. malabaricus |
52 | Teeth on anterior portion of dentary absent; lower jaw anterior portion straight | 53 |
– | Teeth on anterior portion of dentary present; lower jaw anterior portion rounded | 56 |
53 | Dentary teeth present | Parodon nasus |
– | Dentary teeth absent | 54 |
54 | Black lateral stripe with broad projections above and below, giving a zig-zag appearance; body greenish in life | Apareiodon ibitiensis |
– | Black lateral stripe without broad projections above and below; 6–8 transverse, rectangular or triangular black thin bars above; body silver in life | 55 |
55 | Scales in pre-anal series 29 or fewer; premaxillary teeth cusps up to 12 | Apareiodon piracicabae |
– | Scales in pre-anal series 29½ or more; premaxillary teeth cusps 12–15 | Apareiodon affinis |
56 | Adipose fin absent; pectoral-fin unbranched rays 10–13; principal caudal-fin rays 16 | Crenuchidae (undescribed genus and species) |
– | Adipose fin present; pectoral-fin unbranched rays 3; principal caudal-fin rays 18 or 19 | Characidium aff. zebra |
57 | Premaxillary teeth in three rows; teeth conical in the symphysis region present | Brycon nattereri |
– | Premaxillary teeth in two rows; teeth conical in the symphysis region absent | 58 |
58 | Teeth on the palate present | Oligosarcus pintoi |
– | Teeth on the palate absent | 59 |
59 | Anal-fin branched rays more than 30; spinoid scales | Galeocharax gulo |
– | Anal-fin branched rays up to 29; cycloid scales | 60 |
60 | Lateral line incomplete | 61 |
– | Lateral line complete | 62 |
61 | Adipose fin present | Hyphessobrycon uaiso |
– | Adipose fin absent | Hasemania uberaba |
62 | Internal series of premaxillary with 4 teeth; body relatively elongate, depth 3.0–4.2 × in standard length | 63 |
– | Internal series of premaxillary with 5 teeth; body relatively deep, depth 1.8–3.6 × in standard length | 66 |
63 | Upper jaw projecting anteriorly; premaxillary teeth misaligned | Piabina argentea |
– | Upper and lower jaws of equal size; premaxillary teeth aligned | 64 |
64 | Supraorbital groove present; caudal-fin lobes covered by small scales | Knodus aff. moenkhausii |
– | Supraorbital groove absent; scales only at the caudal-fin base | 65 |
65 | Dorsal stripe broad, extending from the supraoccipital crest to the caudal-fin base, with a gap at the region of the adipose fin; humeral spot conspicuous | Bryconamericus turiuba |
– | Dorsal stripe narrow, continuous, extending from the supraoccipital crest to the caudal-fin base; humeral spot inconspicuous or absent | Piabarchus stramineus |
66 | Maxillary teeth absent; humeral spot clearly defined, horizontally elongate associated with two diffuse vertical black stripes; fins yellow in life | Astyanax lacustris |
– | Maxillary teeth present; humeral spot absent or inconspicuous; fins orange or red in life | 67 |
67 | Flank with a silvery longitudinal stripe; scales on abdomen without chromatophores on distal portion | Astyanax aff. fasciatus |
– | Flank without silvery longitudinal stripe; scales on abdomen with black chromatophores on distal portion | 68 |
68 | Body relatively deep, up to 3.0 × in standard length; anal-fin rays 22 or more | Astyanax bockmanni |
– | Body relatively elongate, more than 3.1 × in standard length; anal-fin rays 20 or fewer | 69 |
69 | Eye with light iris, silver in life; pelvic-fin tip reaching anal fin | Astyanax aff. paranae |
– | Eye with dark iris, gold or brown in life; pelvic-fin tip not reaching anal fin | Astyanax paranae |
70 | Teeth tricuspid present; premaxilla and dentary teeth in 1 row | Serrasalmus maculatus |
– | Teeth tricuspid absent; premaxilla and dentary teeth in 2 rows (the inner dentary row represented by 2 small conical teeth | 71 |
71 | Adipose-fin base longer than taller; dorsal-fin rays 20 or fewer; pre-dorsal spine present | Metynnis lippincottianus |
– | Adipose-fin base taller than longer; dorsal-fin rays 20 or more; pre-dorsal spine absent | Myloplus tiete |
The diversity recorded in the Uberaba River (73) is slightly greater than in similar tributaries of the Grande River in São Paulo state, in which 64 species have been recorded in the tributaries of the Pardo, Turvo, and Sapucaí rivers (
The number of species (73) recorded in the Uberaba River comprises ca. 19% of the total species number known in the Upper Paraná River system when compared to the data in
Some species recorded in the Uberaba River potentially correspond to new species and some considerations are provided. Astyanax fasciatus (Cuvier) is described for the São Francisco River basin and it is widely distributed in the Paraná-Paraguay drainage and coastal drainages of eastern of Brazil. However, based on the definitions by
Characiformes collected in the Uberaba River. 1 Leporinus amblyrhynchus 2 Steindachnerina insculpta 3 Leporinus striatus 4 Leporinus friderici (uncataloged) 5 Leporinus octofasciatus 6 Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus 7 Schizodon nasutus 8 Prochilodus lineatus 9 Hoplias intermedius 10 Hoplias aff. malabaricus 11 Brycon nattereri 12 Apareiodon piracicabae 13 Galeocharax gulo 14 Apareiodon affinis 15 Apareiodon ibitiensis 16 Astyanax lacustris 17 Astyanax paranae 18 Astyanax aff. paranae 19 Parodon nasus 20 Metynnis lippincottianus 21 Astyanax aff. fasciatus 22 Astyanax bockmanni 23 Bryconamericus turiuba 24 Myloplus tiete 25 Hasemania uberaba 26 Hyphessobrycon uaiso 27 Oligosarcus pintoi 28 Knodus aff. moenkhausii 29 Piabarchus stramineus 30 Piabina argentea 31 Serrasalmus maculatus 32 Crenuchidae (undescribed genus and species) and 33 Characidium aff. zebra. Photographs are of specimens presented in Table
Siluriformes (Loricariidae absent), Gymnotiformes, Cichliformes, Cyprinodontiformes, and Synbrachiformes collected in the Uberaba River. 1 Megalechis thoracata 2 Tatia neivai 3 Trichomycterus candidus 4 Trichomycterus brasiliensis 5 Imparfinis borodini 6 Rhamdiopsis sp. 7 Corydoras difluviatilis 8 Aspidoras fuscoguttatus 9 Rhamdia quelen 10 Pimelodella avanhadavae 11 Eigenmannia trilineata 12 Gymnotus sylvius 13 Gymnotus inaequilabiatus (uncataloged) 14 Crenicichla jaguarensis 15 Crenicichla britskii 16 Cichla piquiti 17 Geophagus brasiliensis 18 Coptodon rendalli 19 Oreochromis niloticus (uncataloged) 20 Cichlasoma paranaense 21 Phalloceros harpagos (female above and male below) 22 Poecillia reticulata (female above and male below) 23 Melanorivulus giarettai (male above and female below) and 24 Synbranchus marmoratus. Photographs are of specimens presented in Table
Astyanax aff. paranae Eigenmann collected from the Uberaba River may represent a distinct species in the complex “Astyanax scabripinnis species complex” sensu
The taxonomic boundaries of the Hypostomus species are unclear. Some species of the genus Hypostomus are highly variable morphologically and widely distributed. In addition, some important diagnostic characters, such as color pattern, cannot be seen at present in type specimens collected more than 100 years ago, making identification of the species difficult (
The occurrence of Metynnis lippincottianus may be a result of accidental introduction (
New taxa have been described from the Uberaba River system over the past decade, e.g., Hasemania uberaba (
Loricariidae, genus Hypostomus collected in the Uberaba River (dorsal, lateral, and ventral photographs). 1 Hypostomus ancistroides 2 Hypostomus albopunctatus 3 Hypostomus strigaticeps 4 Hypostomus margaritifer 5 Hypostomus butantanis 6 Hypostomus regani 7 Hypostomus aff. paulinus 8 Hypostomus topavae and 9 Hypostomus nigromaculatus, Photographs are of specimens presented in Table
Another loricariids collected in the Uberaba River (dorsal, lateral, and ventral photographs). 1 Hypostomus aff. hermanni 2 Hypostomus fluviatilis 3 Rineloricaria latirostris 4 Proloricaria prolixa 5 Curculionichthys insperatus 6 Microlepdogaster dimorpha and 7 Loricaria lentiginosa (uncataloged). Photographs are of specimens presented in Table
We thank Fernando Carvalho, Fernanda Martins, and Claudio Zawadzki for help with species identification; Felipe Montefeltro, Nivaldo Urzulin, and Cristiéle Ribeiro for proofreading; Cristiane Santos, Simony Santos, Ronaldo Santos, Flavienne Carvalho, Gustavo Carvalho, and Luciano Henrique for the help in the field work; José Noel Prata, Paulo César Macedo, Vander Neto, Mario Cesar, Eliana Miranda Araújo, and Pedro César Chagas for support in various activities throughout the work. We are grateful for the support given by the Military Police of Minas Gerais (16° Pel. and 5ª Cia PM Ind. MAmb. de Planura). This project was partially funded by Prefeitura Municipal de Uberaba. DCR and MRT were supported by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes) and JMAC and FL by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). The manuscript benefitted from reviews by Carla Pavanelli, Nina Bogutskaya, Nathalie Yonow, and anonymous referees.