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The rio Pratinha is a short affluent of the upper course of the rio Paraguaçu basin inserted in the semiarid domain in the northeastern of Brazil. It is a unique water body with remarkably transparent water exiting from a cave and immediately forming a lagoon, which has whitish substrate partially covered by tiny gastropod shells. The local ichthyofauna is known only by a few descriptions of endemic or geographically restrict species. The inventory of the ichthyofauna performed herein revealed 24 species distributed in 22 genera, 13 families, and four orders. Characiformes and Siluriformes were the most representative orders, with 15 and eight species, respectively. Characidae is the most rich-species family. In the last decades the rio Pratinha is suffering great environment alteration due the intense anthropic activity focused on touristic exploration, with consequences on its ichthyofauna. Three endemic of the rio Pratinha or rare species occurring therein are currently defined as threatened of extinction: Astyanax brucutu, Kolpotocheirodon figueiredoi, and Lepidocharax diamantina. Furthermore, some previously abundant species in the river, such as A. brucutu and Hyphessobrycon negodagua, are now rarely observed or present in recent samplings. The non-native species Coptodon rendalli and Poecilia reticulata also occur in the river. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of freshwater assemblages may be driven directly by urbanization or indirectly by a reduction in environmental heterogeneity (EH). Disentangling the effects of urbanization and EH requires uncorrelated proxies of each of these factors. We assessed the effects of the degree of urbanization and EH on the structure of fish assemblages. We sampled fish in 45 streams located in the urban area of Cuiabá. We assessed the effects of urbanization and EH on rarefied fish species richness (Srarefied), the local contribution to beta diversity (LCBD), and composition with linear models and distance-based redundancy analysis. Our indexes of urbanization and EH were not correlated. We found that both Srarefied and the LCBD decreased with an increasing degree of urbanization, but were not associated with EH. We also noted that few native fish species abundances were associated with the EH. Serrapinnus microdon, S. calliurus, Hemigrammus tridens, and Astyanax lacustris were abundant in streams with a lower degree of urbanization. The non-native Poecilia reticulata was more abundant in streams with a higher degree of urbanization. Our results highlight that urbanization leads in negative impacts on fish assemblages, such as decreases in diversity and the dominance of non-native species [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated fish beta diversity in six headwater creeks located in the area affected by the largest ornamental aquaculture center implemented in the Minas Gerais State, southeastern Brazil. We sampled fish assemblages in 2017 and 2018 to investigate changes in assemblage structure (species richness and beta diversity), comparing these data with the historic species pool. We recorded 60 fish species, of which 16 were native and 44 non-native with 19 translocated, and 25 exotic. The exotics Poecilia reticulata, Xiphophorus maculatus, X. variatus, Danio rerio, and Misgurnus anguillicaudatus were the most widely distributed in the headwater creeks. The Contamination Index showed that most creeks had high proportional contamination by exotic species (above 60%). Beta diversity increased from historical to contemporary periods in all creeks due to the introduction and differential colonization pressure of several non-native translocated and exotic species, indicating biotic differentiation. Temperature and number of ponds were the main preditors of change in beta diversity in the headwater creeks during the contemporary period. In summary, we observed that invaders have induced substantial changes to fish communities under influence of environmental filters. Our results support the hipothesis that aquaculture is a main driver of fish non-native fish introduction and native biodiversity loss in the Neotropics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Guareí River is a tributary of the Paranapanema River (Brazil), located in the upper portion of the Jurumirim Reservoir. Fish fauna studies in this watershed began in the 2000s, but they were restricted to a few waterbodies. This work conducted a broad survey of the fish fauna in tributary streams and the main channel of the Guareí River. Sampling occurred between February 2017 and November 2018 at 36 sites and using different collection methods. We captured 2,169 specimens belonging to 50 species, 16 families and 6 orders. The species accumulation curve tended to stabilize but indicated that species richness is underestimated. Almost all species are native (46); only three were non-native (Hyphessobrycon eques, Oreochromis niloticus and Poecilia reticulata) and one was undefined (Gymnotus pantanal). Among the native species, two are unknown to science (Bryconamericus aff. iheringii and Hypostomus sp. n.) and three are migratory (Leporinus friderici, Megaleporinus obtusidens and Pimelodus maculatus). In this paper, we provide images of species collected. Results indicate that the Guareí River basin is a hotspot of fish diversity in the Upper Paranapanema River, stressing the need for adequate management and conservation actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans introduce non‐native species by means such as the deliberate release of fish into fresh waters and through commercial trade. The guppy Poecilia reticulata Peters, 1859, is commonly kept in aquaria and controls disease vectors, and now it occurs in many areas outside its natural distribution. Its initial habitat in Brazil was identified, and a study was performed to determine whether the density of guppies can be explained by the density of human population, per‐capita gross domestic product, level of human impact on the areas where guppies have been found and fish‐sampling effort. A total of 1402 guppy records were found; the southeastern region had the oldest records; and the southeastern, northeastern and central‐western regions had the maximum records. Low tolerance to the colder climate may be the reason for the lack of guppy records in the southernmost states. It was also observed that the occurrence of this fish is positively, yet weakly, related to the density of human population, indicating that improved regulations regarding its use in controlling disease vectors, the aquarium trade and education of aquarium hobbyists could help prevent the spread of this species and its potential impacts in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In fish there are four cytochrome P450 (CYP1) subfamilies: CYP1A, CYP1B, CYP1C, and CYP1D. Here we cloned Poecilia vivipara CYP1A, with an inferred amino acid sequence 91% identical to CYP1A from the killifish Fundulus heteroclitus, another member of the Cypriniformes, and an important model in ecotoxicology. In addition, we examined the expression of CYP1A, CYP1B1, and CYP1C1 by qPCR in liver, gill, and intestine of adult P. vivipara injected with 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) or held in clean water (control group) for 24h. All three tissues examined showed basal expression of the three CYP1 genes. CYP1A was most strongly expressed in the liver, while CYP1B1, and CYP1C1 were most strongly expressed in the gill and intestine respectively. 3-MC induced CYP1A, CYP1B1, and CYP1C1 significantly (20–120-fold) in the three organs, consistent with the regulation of CYP1A, CYP1B1 and CYP1C1 via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. Validation of CYP1 gene biomarkers in fish collected from a contaminated urban mangrove environment was confirmed with significant induction of CYP1A and CYP1C1 in gills (10–15-fold) and CYP1B1 in liver (23-fold), relative to fish from a control site. The responsiveness of these CYP1 genes indicates P. vivipara is suitable as a model for environmental toxicology studies and environmental assessment in Brazil. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Itiz Stream is a first order tributary of the Ivaí River basin, located in a rural area of Marialva municipality, Paraná state. Fish were sampled in October, November and December 2007, September 2008 and March 2009, using electrofishing and a sieve technique in three stretches along the stream. We collected 20 species belonging to 13 genera, seven families and three orders. Only Poecilia reticulata was considered non-native species and five are probably undescribed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxic potential of the pH reduction to fingerlings of Poecilia reticulata, through acute toxicity bioassays, as well as the influence of increased pH on the toxicity were assessed. Acid lake samples (Dunas Lake) were collected during 19 months, and assessed with following treatments: water at local pH (±3.0) and samples with modified pH to 3.5, 3.8, 4.0, 4.3, 4.6, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 6.5. Culture water samples with pH reduced to 3.0 were also assessed. Newborn P. reticulata were exposed during 96h, and dead/immobile organisms were counted at various time intervals during exposure (short intervals in the beginning and long towards the end). Mean results of LT50 and confidence intervals from the Dunas Lake and control water with reduced pH were 1.36 (±0.48)h, and 1.03 (±0.50)h, respectively, with no statistical difference. Samples with increased pH showed a significant reduction in toxicity, with no toxicity detected at pH 6.0 and higher. Relationship between pH and lethal toxicity for fingerlings of P. reticulata demonstrated that pH exerted a strong effect on the survival of this species at the Dunas Lake, explaining about 80% of the toxicity observed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The fishborne zoonotic trematode Haplorchis pumilio (Looss, 1896) is here reported for the first time in Brazil based on morphological, experimental and molecular studies. Pleurolophocercous cercariae emerged from the invasive snail Melanoides tuberculata collected in the municipality of Ceará-Mirim, state of Rio Grande do Norte, Northeast region of Brazil, in November 2018, were used for experimental infection of guppies, Poecilia reticulata. Metacercariae were extracted from the caudal musculature of these fishes and were used to infect mice. Adult parasites recovered in the small intestine of the mice were morphologically identified as H. pumilio. Molecular sequences were obtained for the Brazilian and Peruvian isolates of H. pumilio , and were compared with data available in GenBank. Analyses of fragments of the nuclear genes 28S (1219 bp) and ITS-2 (290 bp) revealed 98.48–100% similarity between the South American and Asian isolates of H. pumilio. Moreover, new sequences of the mitochondrial gene cox-1 obtained for the Brazilian (797 bp) and Peruvian (646 pb) isolates were 100% similar to a Mexican isolate of this species and 97.54% similar to an isolate from Thailand. This finding reveals the potential for occurrence of human haplorchiasis in Brazil, especially because of the increasing popularity of raw fish dishes in the country. Image 1 • Haplorchis pumilio is reported for the first time in Brazil. • Melanoides tuberculata is the intermediate host of this heterophyid in the country. • A same cox-1 haplotype of H. pumilio is found in Brazil, Peru and Mexico. • The potential occurrence of human haplorchiasis in South America is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]