Ictiofauna do Parque Nacional da Serra da Bodoquena, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil: composição e subsídios à conservação

Abstract

The Serra da Bodoquena includes the headwaters of important rivers of the upper Paraguay River basin and constitutes one of the more extensive karst formations in Brazil. The region is an important tourist destination and Serra da Bodoquena National Park (SBNP) was established in 2000. In this work, we provide a list of the ichthyofauna and describe the main water systems in SBNP. Surveys were carried out in August, September and December 2005 using trawl nets, gill nets and electrofishing. For the list of species, we included records made in subsequent studies, resulting in 60 species belonging to seven orders and 21 families, which are all autochthonous to the upper Paraguay River, except the tilapia Coptodon rendalli, the only non-native species. The species richness was higher in the Salobra River basin (49 species, 39 exclusive) compared to the Perdido River basin (15 species, six exclusive). We documented seven endemic species in the Serra da Bodoquena, of which two are threatened with extinction (Vulnerable category): Trichomycterus dali and Ancistrus formoso. As mitigation and preventive measures for environmental impacts, we suggest regularizing land use and increasing environmental education programs as ways of contributing to public policies that are involved in the conservation of aquatic systems and their biotic communities.