Abundance, feeding and reproduction of Salminus sp. (Pisces: Characidae) from mountain streams of the Andean piedmont in Venezuela

To obtain basic information for management, aspects of the ecology of Salminus sp. (Pisces: Characidae), were studied in piedmont rivers of the southwestern flank of the Andes in Venezuela. Collections were made with seines of various lengths and mesh sizes, and both underwater and terrestrial observations were recorded to estimate abundance and feeding events. Interviews with local fishermen and inhabitants were made to obtain data on use. The species is present along the entire length of the Andean piedmont in Venezuela, although in some rivers it is now scarce. Small individuals form mixed schools with Brycon whitei, but larger Salminus sp. usually only school with others of the same species. Average abundance was greater in larger rivers, and didn't vary appreciably with season for any of the rivers studied. Size and weight ranged from 15.1 to 40.5 cm SL and 47.7 to 1,210 g, respectively. Females had maximum ovary maturity at the beginning of the rainy season, with an average fecundity of 35,834 eggs, and spawning occurred during spates of high water. Feeding was crepuscular, with most events recorded during the first and last hours of sunlight. In smaller fish up to 20 cm SL, the diet was varied, but above that size fish were the principal food item. Salminus sp. has little commercial importance in this region but forms an important part of the local subsistence fishery, and occasionally it is targeted for sport fishing. The minimum legal size of capture for the species should be raised, since the current limit permits the capture of many sexually immature individuals. Para obter informações básicas para o manejo de Salminus sp. no sopé andino ocidental da Venezuela, se estudaram aspectos sobre sua ecologia e aproveitamento. Nos rios do sopé da montanha efetuaram-se capturas de peixes com variados tamanhos de malha, assim como observações subaquáticas e terrestres para estimar abundâncias e eventos de alimentação. Aplicaramse entrevistas para recolher dados sobre seu aproveitamento. A espécie é representada em toda a região, seus indivíduos são pouco frequentes e formam cardumes, sendo mixtos com exemplares de Brycon whitei quando os primeros são de tamanho pequeno. A abundância média foi maior nos rios de tamanho grande e não variou de maneira importante no tempo para todos os rios. Os tamanhos e pesos estiveram entre 15,1 e 40,5 cm de comprimento padrão (CP) e entre 47,7 e 1.210 g, respectivamente. As fêmeas tiveram máxima maturação gonadal no começo do período de chuvas, com fecundidade média de 35.834 ovos e eventos reprodutivos em momentos de subida dos ríos. Os eventos de alimentação foram mais frequentes nas primeiras e últimas horas de luz solar. Em peixes menores de 20 cm de CP, a dieta da espécie foi variada, mas acima deste tamanho os peixes foram o item principal na dieta. Salminus sp. tem pouca importância comercial mas forma parte da pesca de subsistência e eventualmente é objeto da pesca esportiva. O tamanho legal mínimo de captura para a espécie deve ser revisado, visto que permite o aproveitamento de indivíduos imaturos sexualmente

Rediscovery of the holotype of Characidium sanctjohanni Dahl 1960 (Characiformes: Crenuchidae) from the Colombian Pacific slope

We report the rediscovery of the holotype of Characidium sanctjohanni Dahl, previously considered as lost in the ICN collections. We present counts, measurements and photographs, also offering a comparison between the holotype and the original description.Presentamos el redescubrimiento de la especie Characidium sanctjohanni descrita por Dahl (1960), lote que se encontraba perdido en el ICN. Tomamos conteos, medidas y fotografías para comparar los datos del holotipo con la descripción original

Lista preliminar de los peces del río Papunahua, cuenca del río Inírida - departamento del Vaupés, Colombia

Fish sampling in the Papunahua river (Inírida river basin-colombian Orinoco) (october and november 2005) revealed 86 fish species grouped in 64 genera, 28 families, and 8 orders. Orders with the largest numbers of species were Characiformes (42 species), Siluriformes (21), and Perciformes (9), with the remaining 5 orders having from 1 to 7 species. At the family level, the Characidae has the greatest number of species (24 species), followed by Cichlidae (9), and Anostomidae (6). The remaining 25 families having 1 to 5 species

Lista preliminar de los peces del río Papunahua, cuenca del río Inírida - departamento del Vaupés, Colombia

Fish sampling in the Papunahua river (Inírida river basin-colombian Orinoco) (october and november 2005) revealed 86 fish species grouped in 64 genera, 28 families, and 8 orders. Orders with the largest numbers of species were Characiformes (42 species), Siluriformes (21), and Perciformes (9), with the remaining 5 orders having from 1 to 7 species. At the family level, the Characidae has the greatest number of species (24 species), followed by Cichlidae (9), and Anostomidae (6). The remaining 25 families having 1 to 5 species.Los muestreos realizados entre octubre y noviembre de 2005 en el río Papunahua (cuenca del río Inírida - Orinoquía colombiana), registran una riqueza de 86 especies de peces agrupadas 64 géneros, 28 familias y 8 órdenes. Los órdenes con el mayor número de especies fueron Characiformes (42 especies), Siluriformes (21 especies), Perciformes (9 especies) y los restantes cinco órdenes tienen de una a siete especies. Al nivel de familia, Characidae posee el mayor número de especies (24), seguida de Cichlidae (nueve), Anostomidae (seis) y las restantes 25 familias tienen de una a cinco especies

Lista preliminar de los peces del río Papunahua, cuenca del río Inírida - departamento del Vaupés, Colombia

Fish sampling in the Papunahua river (Inírida river basin-colombian Orinoco) (october and november 2005) revealed 86 fish species grouped in 64 genera, 28 families, and 8 orders. Orders with the largest numbers of species were Characiformes (42 species), Siluriformes (21), and Perciformes (9), with the remaining 5 orders having from 1 to 7 species. At the family level, the Characidae has the greatest number of species (24 species), followed by Cichlidae (9), and Anostomidae (6). The remaining 25 families having 1 to 5 species

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

Abundance, feeding and reproduction of Salminus sp. (Pisces: Characidae) from mountain streams of the Andean piedmont in Venezuela

Rodríguez-Olarte, Douglas, Taphorn B, Donald C. (2006): Abundance, feeding and reproduction of Salminus sp. (Pisces: Characidae) from mountain streams of the Andean piedmont in Venezuela. Neotropical Ichthyology 4 (1): 73-79, DOI: 10.1590/S1679-62252006000100007, URL: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-62252006000100007&lng=en&tlng=e

Lista preliminar de los peces del río Papunahua, cuenca del río Inírida - departamento del Vaupés, Colombia

Los muestreos realizados entre octubre y noviembre de 2005 en el río Papunahua (cuenca del río Inírida - Orinoquía colombiana), registran una riqueza de 86 especies de peces agrupadas 64 géneros, 28 familias y 8 órdenes. Los órdenes con el mayor número de especies fueron Characiformes (42 especies), Siluriformes (21 especies), Perciformes (9 especies) y los restantes cinco órdenes tienen de una a siete especies. Al nivel de familia, Characidae posee el mayor número de especies (24), seguida de Cichlidae (nueve), Anostomidae (seis) y las restantes 25 familias tienen de una a cinco especies.Artículo revisado por pare

A new species of Tyttocharax (Characiformes: Characidae: Stevardiinae) from the Güejar river, Orinoco river Basin, Colombia

A new Tyttocharax species from the Güejar River system, near the Macarena Mountains in Colombia is described. This is the first record for the genus from the Orinoco basin. The combination of the following characters distinguish Tyttocharax metae from its congeners: presence of bony hooks on the pectoral and caudal-fin rays; bony hooks on the anal-fin rays larger than those on the pelvic-fin rays; pectoral-fin rays i,5-6,i; presence of three unbranched dorsal-fin rays; absence of an adipose fin; four scales rows between the anal-fin origin and the lateral line; and four scale rows between the pelvic-fin and the lateral line. Ecological characteristics of the habitat of the new species are also presented