Environ Biol Fish (2008) 83:207–208
DOI 10.1007/s10641-007-9319-1
Threatened fishes of the world: Brycon nattereri Günther,
1864 (Characidae)
Flávio C.T. Lima & Míriam P. Albrecht &
Carla S. Pavanelli & Volney Vono
Received: 16 May 2007 / Accepted: 1 November 2007 / Published online: 25 December 2007
# Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2007
Abstract Brycon nattereri (Ostariophysi: Characiformes: Characidae), a threatened South American
freshwater fish, occurs in the Paraná, Tocantins and
São Francisco river basins in central Brazil. It is a
middle-sized (up to 50 cm SL), omnivorous species,
which occurs in swift, clear-water rivers with wellpreserved riparian vegetation. Main threats to the
species are water pollution, dam building, and
deforestation.
Keywords Brycon nattereri . Characidae . Brazil .
Conservation
F. C. Lima (*)
Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo,
Caixa Postal 42494,
04299-970 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
e-mail: [email protected]
M. P. Albrecht
Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes,
Instituto de Biologia,
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro,
Caixa Postal 68020,
21940-540 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
C. S. Pavanelli
Universidade Estadual de Maringá/Nupélia,
Av. Colombo, 5790,
87020-900 Maringá, PR, Brazil
V. Vono
Centro de Transposição de Peixes,
Departamento de Zoologia,
Instituto de Ciências Biológicas,
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais,
Caixa Postal 486,
30161-970 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Common name: Pirapitinga.
Conservation status: Officially “vulnerable” in
Brazil (Rosa and Lima 2005).
Identification: Middle-sized (<30 cm SL), silvery
body, humeral- and caudal-peduncle blotches, 46–55
lateral-line scales. Breeding males develop anal-fin
hooklets (Lima 2001).
Distribution: Upper Paraná (UP), São Francisco
(SF), upper Tocantins (UT) river basins, Brazil.
Abundance: Originally common, but now extirpated from most UP and SF river basins (Lima et al.
in press).
Habitat and ecology: Restricted to clear-water,
middle-sized rivers, with moderate to swift current
with intact riparian vegetation. It does not occur in
large floodplain rivers. In UT the diet was composed
208
of allochthonous items (seeds, fruits, arthropods).
Smaller individuals were carnivorous, whereas larger
individuals, herbivorous (Albrecht 2005). Diet in UP
was composed of terrestrial and aquatic insects,
detritus, fish, algae (Luz-Agostinho et al. 2006), and
plants.
Reproduction: Smallest first maturation lengths in
UT: 11.4 (females) and 9.8 cm (males), and in UP:
18.5 and 15.8 cm SL, respectively. Breeding individuals were detected during middle dry season (May–
July) or late rainy season (March–April) in distinct
UP areas, and late dry season (June–August) in UT.
The reproductive strategy fits probably the seasonal
type (Winemiller 1989). A population was reported to
breed in a small river stretch limited by waterfalls
(Vieira et al. 2005), suggesting that it does not
undertake long spawning migrations.
Threats: Deforestation, water pollution, and dams.
Brycon species are highly sensitive to deforestation
and water quality degradation, the first due to their
dependence on allochthonous resources (Horn 1997,
Lima and Castro 2000). Hydroelectric dams have
been an increasing threat.
Conservation actions and recommendations: No
specific actions have yet been taken to secure the
conservation of Brycon nattereri. Conservation of
undisturbed river systems where the species occurs is
the best way to secure it. Further investigations on its
biology, especially reproduction, are necessary.
Environ Biol Fish (2008) 83:207–208
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