Ictiofauna de los ambientes de piedemonte y sabana en el drenaje del río Casanare, cuenca del Orinoco, Colombia

Currently, only 20 fish species have been recorded from the Casanare River, which is one of the main tributaries of the Meta River drainage. To characterize the fish assemblages of this river, samplings were carried out at 35 collecting stations in low and high water seasons of 2015. The results obtained, raised the number of fish species of the Casanare River drainage to 180, of which 41 are exclusive to the piedmont, 83 to the savannah and 56 are shared between both units; 19 species are endemic, 11 are migratory, and three are classified in one of the national threat categories. Three species were found to be undescribed and one represents a new record for the Orinoco River Basin in Colombia. This study fills the lack of information for the Casanare River drainage, highlights its importance as a potential area for biodiversity conservation and facilitates the decision-making process related to the management planning and conservation of the hydrographic basinActualmente, sólo se han registrado 20 especies de peces para el río Casanare, uno de los principales afluentes de la cuenca del río Meta. Con el fin de caracterizar los ensamblajes de peces de este río, se realizaron muestreos en 35 estaciones de colecta en los períodos de aguas bajas y altas del 2015. Los resultados obtenidos incrementaron el número de especies de peces de la cuenca del río Casanare a 180, de las cuales 41 son exclusivas del piedemonte, 83 de la sabana y 56 son compartidas entre ambas unidades; 19 especies son endémicas, 11 son migratorias y tres están clasificadas en una de las categorías de amenaza nacional. Se encontraron tres especies no descritasy una representa un nuevo registro para la cuenca del río Orinoco en Colombia. Este estudio llena el vacío de información para la cuenca del río Casanare, destaca su importancia como área potencial para la conservación de la biodiversidad y facilita el proceso de toma de decisiones relacionado con la planificación de manejo y conservación de la cuenca hidrográfica

Ichthyofauna of piedmont and savannah environments in the Casanare River drainage, Orinoco Basin, Colombia

Currently, only 20 fish species have been recorded from the Casanare River, which is one of the main tributaries of the Meta River drainage. To characterize the fish assemblages of this river, samplings were carried out at 35 collecting stations in low and high water seasons of 2015. The results obtained, raised the number of fish species of the Casanare River drainage to 180, of which 41 are exclusive to the piedmont, 83 to the savannah and 56 are shared between both units; 19 species are endemic, 11 are migratory, and three are classified in one of the national threat categories. Three species were found to be undescribed and one represents a new record for the Orinoco River Basin in Colombia. This study fills the lack of information for the Casanare River drainage, highlights its importance as a potential area for biodiversity conservation and facilitates the decision-making process related to the management planning and conservation of the hydrographic basin

Apistogramma megaptera (Perciformes: Cichlidae), una nueva especie para la cuenca del Orinoco

We describe a new species, Apistogramma megaptera (Perciformes: Cichlidae) that occurs in the upper Orinoco River Basin, in the Inírida, Atabapo and Mavaca rivers of Venezuela and Colombia. This species is characterized by a deep body and a sexual dimorphism expressed in the different shape of the dorsal and caudal fins of males and females, as well as color pattern. Other diagnostic features that differentiate it from other species from Orinoco with crossbars on the caudal fin (Apistogramma iniridae, A. velifera and A. inornata) are: anal fin with marginal black stripe; dorsal fin with a thin marginal black line; infraorbital band wide, its width equal to the pupil; these characters are not present in the above mentioned species. The males reach a larger size (58.7 mm LS) than females (39 mm LS). The pigmentation in the form of crossbars on the tail fin is the character that distinguishes it from other species in the Orinoco River Basin that have immaculate caudal fin (Apistogramma alacrina, A. hoignei, A. hongsloi, A. guttata, A. macmasteri and A. viejita).Se describe una nueva especie, Apistogramma megaptera (Perciformes: Cichlidae), distribuida en la cuenca alta del Orinoco (ríos Inírida, Atabapo y Mavaca) de Venezuela y Colombia. Esta especie se caracteriza por presentar un cuerpo elevado y dimorfismo sexual marcado, expresado en la forma de las aletas (dorsal y caudal) de los machos y hembras, así como en el patrón de coloración. Otros caracteres diagnósticos que la diferencian de las demás especies orinoquenses con barras transversales en la aleta caudal (Apistogramma iniridae, A. velifera y A. inornata), incluyen: aleta anal con franja negra marginal; aleta dorsal con presencia de una fina línea negra marginal y una banda infraorbital gruesa, cuyo ancho es igual al de la pupila. Estos caracteres están ausentes en las otras especies descritas. Los machos alcanzan una mayor talla (58.7 mm LE) que las hembras (39 mm LE). Respecto a las especies restantes en la cuenca del Orinoco que presentan aleta caudal inmaculada (Apistogramma alacrina, A. hoignei, A. hongsloi, A. guttata, A. macmasteri y A. viejita), la pigmentación en forma de barras transversales en la aleta caudal es el carácter que diferencia a A. megaptera

Peces de la cuenca del río Orinoco. Parte I: Lista de especies y distribución por subcuencas

Para efectos del presente trabajo y en función de los datos disponibles hasta la fecha, se consideran las siguientes subcuencas y/o regiones para la cuenca del Orinoco, desde su nacimiento hasta su desembocadura en el océano Atlántico: Alto Orinoco, Casiquiare, Ventuari, Atabapo, Inírida, Guaviare, Vichada, Sipapo, Tomo, Cataniapo, Bita, Meta, Parguaza, Cinaruco, Suapure, Capanaparo, Arauca, Apure, Cuchivero, Manapiare, Zuata, Caura, Pao, Aro, Caris, Caroní, Morichal Largo, Delta y Orinoco (Mapa)

Checklist of the freshwater fishes of Colombia

Data derived from the literature supplemented by examination of specimens in collections show that 1435 species of native fishes live in the freshwaters of Colombia. These species represent 14 orders and 47 families. Orders with the largest numbers of species in the Colombian continental ichthyofauna are the Characiformes (637 species), Siluriformes (524 species), Perciformes (124 species), and Gymnotiformes (74 species), with the remaining 10 orders having from 1 to 35 species. At the family level, the Characidae has the greatest number of species (399 species), with this followed by the Loricariidae (166 species), Cichlidae (114 species), Pimelodidae (54 species), and Trichomycteridae (54 species); the remaining 42 families having 1 to 52 species. Present data indicate that 311 of the species occur solely at locations within Colombia. Continued descriptions of new species from the continental waters of Colombia demonstrate that the present total underestimates the species-level diversity of the ichthyofauna. The 1435 species living in Colombian freshwaters represent approximately 5% of all freshwater and marine fish species now recognized worldwide and approximately 29% of the freshwater fish species known to inhabit the drainages across the expanse from the southern border of Mexico through to Chile and Argentina. Various historical and ecological factors potentially contributing to the species-level richness of the Colombian freshwater fish fauna are discussed (e.g. geology, climate, physiography, water chemistry)

DEVELOPING MONITORING TOOLS FOR TOMORROW?S INVASIVES: SPECIES LISTS, DNA BARCODES, AND IMAGES FOR ORNAMENTAL FISH

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

The Mako language: Vitality, Grammar and Classification

This dissertation focuses on the documentation and description of Mako, an indigenous language spoken in the Venezuelan Amazon by about 1000 people and for which the only available published material at the start of the project were 38 words. The main goals of the project were to create a collection of annotated ethnographic texts and a grammar that could serve as a starting point for both language maintenance in the community and for further linguistic research. Additionally, the project sought to assess the language’s vitality in the communities where it is spoken and to understand the relationship of Mako to the two other extant Sáliban languages, namely Piaroa and Sáliba. This research has thus led to an assessment of language vitality in the Mako communities of the Ventuari River, a comprehensive description of the Mako language—heretofore undescribed—, and an evaluation of the genetic relationship between the three Sáliban languages. Aside from facilitating the study of other members of the Sáliban family and reconstruction of the common ancestral language, the description of Mako also contributes to the typology of Amazonian languages and to our understanding of the pre-history of this area of the Orinoco basin. The products of this project also have the potential to be mobilized in language literacy efforts in the Mako communities