The marine and estuarine bony fishes (Teleostei) of the Golfão Maranhense on the eastern Amazon coast, northern Brazil.

Abstract

The Golfão Maranhense is an extensive estuarine complex that provides nursery grounds and other habitats for several fish species, as well as a wealth of resources for the coastal and estuarine artisanal fisheries of the Maranhão state, in northern Brazil. The present study provides a comprehensive inventory of marine and estuarine teleost fishes of the Golfão Maranhense based on field samplings, analyses of voucher specimens from local collections and literature data. This inventory presents a total of 163 species of teleosts belonging to 107 genera, 57 families and 27 orders. The order Perciformes prevailed in terms of richness (27 species), followed by Acanthuriformes, Carangiformes, Clupeiformes and Siluriformes. The most diverse family was Sciaenidae (19 species), followed by Carangidae, Ariidae, Engraulidae and Gerreidae. Among the 163 species recorded, 18 are new occurrences for the Golfão Maranhense. According to the IUCN Red List, seven species are classified as Vulnerable. Considering the official Brazilian list of threatened species, five species appear as Vulnerable and one - Epinephelus itajara - as Critically Endangered. Four of the recorded species (Butis koilomatodon, Trypauchen vagina, Omobranchus sewalli and Oreochromis niloticus) are exotic, and were probably introduced into the study area by shipping, fish farms or by the extension of their range along the Brazilian coast. The present study organizes, updates and expands the known and relatively limited data on the fish fauna of the Golfão Maranhense, highlighting the need for further research towards gathering data for conservation and management of the ichthyofauna of this important estuarine complex in the Northern Brazilian Coast.