Distribuição e abundância dos peixes da área de proteção ambiental das dunas de Paracuru –Ce, Brasil

Abstract

This article aimed to contributeinformation about the basic ecology of fish populations in the Paracuru Dunes Environmental Protection Area. From two field campaigns, carried out in 2020 and 2022, the following environments were studied: interdune lagoons, lagoons located in the deflation zone, streams that flow into the sea,and the Botija stream. The 80 samples revealed the existence of 14 species, distributed in ten families and eight orders. Currently, no species is at risk of extinction. Biodiversity was considered low, considering the absolute number of species and the values of the ecological diversity indexes (between 0.97 and 1.43) and species richness (between 0.45 and 1.52). Consequently, equitability was also low, with numerical participation concentrated in four species: Poecilia vivipara, Cichlasoma orientale, Astyanax bimaculatus,and Oreochromis niloticus. In addition to being dominant, the last species was classified as an invasive exotic, therefore, with a high potential for environmental impact. The species Steindachnerina brevipinnaand Crenicichlasp. are also not part of the native faunabut offerlower risk potential. It is believed that the difference in fish assemblages is related to the level of connectivity and environmental characteristics of the different aquifers.