Ichthyofauna of the Quarai-Chico creek, Uruguai river middle basin, Espinilho State Park, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

With the aim of identifying the composition of the ichthyofauna from Quarai-Chico creek (a tributary of the middle Uruguai river located in the municipality of Barra do Quarai), seasonal samplings were taken over the period of one year, from April 1997 to March 1998. Captures were made by means of electrical fishing techniques. A total of 3,564 specimens were captured, distributed in 37 species, 27 genders and 14 families. The Characidae family demonstrated the highest representivity, with 12 species captured, while the Anostomidae, Gymnotidae, Heptapteridae, Pimelodidae, Poecillidae, Synbranchidae and Sternopygidae families each produced evidence of only a single species. In general teams, the results obtained demonstrated a higher ichthyic diversity than the other creeks in the region of the Western frontier of Rio Grande do Sul