Capítulo de livro Produção Nacional Revisado por pares

Habitat and population data of troglobitic armored cave catfish, Ancistrus cryptophthalmus Reis, 1987, from central Brazil (Siluriformes: Loricariidae)

2001; Springer Nature (Netherlands); Linguagem: Inglês

10.1007/978-94-015-9795-1_14

ISSN

0924-5316

Autores

Eleonora Trajano,

Tópico(s)

Fish biology, ecology, and behavior

Resumo

Population ecology of the troglobitic armored catfish, A. cryptophthalmus, from caves in São Domingos karst area of central Brazil, was studied in a two-census capture-mark-recapture study carried out during the dry season of 1999. Like many loricariids, including epigean Ancistrus catfishes from that area, A. cryptophthalmus is a typical bottom-dweller with a strong preference for rocky substrates in fast-flowing stream sectors. Relatively high population densities, when compared to other cavefishes, were recorded in the studied cave sections: 0.9 individuals m-2 in Angélica Cave and 0.5 individuals m-2 in Passa Três Cave. Passa Três Stream is a small tributary of the São Vicente Cave system, and the estimated population for Passa Três Cave (ca. 2000 m long) is around 1000 individuals. On the other hand, the large Angélica Cave Stream (~8km long) harbors a very large population, conservatively estimated at 20000 individuals. No fish movements of distances longer than 100 m were recorded in the 40-day period. In Passa Três Cave, a few movements of distances up to 60 m were detected. Proportion of mature females in Angélica Cave was higher than in Passa Três Cave, possibly reflecting a greater food availability in the first cave. Mean individual growth rates in Angélica Cave (1.35 mm month-1 for size class 41 mm SL) point to relatively high longevities, possibly attaining 15 years.

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