Biology and population features of a rare species of Pseudopimelodidae from the Upper Paraná River Basin

Abstract

Streams contain an expressive fraction of the South American fish diversity, mostly composed of small-sized, endemic, and rare species. Populational, reproductive, and diet aspects of Microglanis garavelloi were studied, aiming to make a wide characterization of this species of bumblebee catfish. This is an endemic species of the Upper Paraná River Basin, and the only representative of the genus in the watershed. It is a littoral-dweller of small rivers, with asymptotic length of 34.1 mm and a population mostly composed of individuals with 20-30 mm of standard length. This species presents high fecundity and mortality rate, and low longevity and growth rate. It is a total spawner, October to February being the spawning period, and probably has brood care behavior, as has been already observed for some Heptapteridae species. The species can be considered an active predator, probably presenting benthic life like most siluriforms, having a diet uniquely composed of aquatic insect larvae. This species occurs as small populations patchily distributed in the Upper Paraná River Basin. This population characteristic, combined with the progressive environmental degradation of its habitats, points to a situation of constant threat that could lead to an irreversible extinction process.