the journal of Check List biodiversity data LISTS OF SPECIES Check List 11(6): 1797, 26 November 2015 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15560/11.6.1797 ISSN 1809-127X © 2015 Check List and Authors Fishes in the lower San Pedro Mezquital River, Nayarit, Mexico Alfonso Ángel González-Díaz 1, 3, Miriam Soria-Barreto 2, 3*, Leonardo Martínez-Cardenas 3 and Manuel Blanco y Correa 4 1 El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Carretera Panamericana y Periférico Sur s/n, Barrio María Auxiliadora, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas c.p. 29290, Mexico 2 CONACYT Research Fellow – El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Carretera Panamericana y Periférico Sur s/n, Barrio María Auxiliadora, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas c.p. 29290, Mexico 3 Unidad Académica de Agricultura, Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit, km 9 Carretera Tepic - Compostela. Xalisco, Nayarit, México 4 Secretaría de Investigación y Posgrado, Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit, Ciudad de la Cultura Amado Nervo s/n, 63190 Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico * Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected] Abstract: %e San Pedro Mezquital River is the %e San Pedro Mezquital basin is one of least studied seventh largest river in Mexico, and &ows through the freshwater ecosystem in the state of Nayarit, Mexico Sierra Madre Occidental into the Marismas Nacionales (González-Díaz and Soria-Barreto )<=>). With a length of Biosphere Reserve, on the coast of the state of Nayarit. (+< km and a surface area of ),?J?,+<J ha, the river &ows %e present study is to conform a systematic checklist through the states of Durango, Zacatecas and Nayarit. of 'shes in the lower basin of the San Pedro Mezquital %e San Pedro Mezquital is the seventh largest river in River. In total, () species were collected from )+ Mexico. It &ows through the Sierra Madre Occidental and families. Four native species were collected ( Atherinella links the desert of Chihuahua to the Gulf of California, crystallina , Poecilia butleri, Poeciliopsis latidens and e8ectively linking Nearctic and Neotropical regions. Poeciliopsis proli"ca ) that are federally protected. Five of %e watershed begins north of Durango City and the collected species were new records for the state of includes the Tunal, Santiago Bayacora and Súchil and Nayarit. %is checklist constitutes a 'rst approximation the Mezquital rivers. After the river crosses the Sierra of the 'sh fauna present in the San Pedro Mezquital Madre Occidental it &ows into the Laguna Grande de River. However, the construction of the Las Cruces dam Mexcaltitán, part of the Marismas Nacionales Biosphere upstream, will modify the basin hydrology, worsen the Reserve in Nayarit. Near to the ocean, the morphology introduction of exotic species and create habitat loss, of the river is formed by lacustrine deltas in lakes and which can have immediate negative impacts on the 'sh estuarine marshes (Tamayo =QQQ; INEGI )<<<; WWF communities in this region. )<=<; Blanco y Correa )<==). Historically, human populations in the region have Key words: Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve, depended on the San Pedro Mezquital River for water freshwater 'shes, diversity, tropical river, introduced and food ('shes) (WWF )<=<). However, inadequate 'shes management of the basin has led to a decline in the quality and quantity of the ecosystem services provided by the river. %roughout the basin, freshwater 'sheries INTRODUCTION are declining due to over-exploitation and pollution Biological inventories have contributed to the from sewage (INEGI )<<<). Other land-use activities, knowledge of Mexican 'sh fauna, and have allowed such as livestock grazing, agricultural development scientists and natural resource managers to evaluate and deforestation have also negatively a8ected the the ecological and biological attributes of aquatic river. Moreover, the imminent construction of the communities in marine, estuarine and freshwater hydroelectric dam Las Cruces upstream of San Pedro ecosystems. However, in many regions of Mexico, Ixcatán, planned for )<=[ (SENER )<=>), threatens the ichthyofauna is not well documented. %erefore, freshwater communities of the river. additional evaluations of the biodiversity are needed to Although the basin has enormous cultural, economic develop e8ective conservation strategies for freshwater and ecological value in western Mexico, research on biodiversity. the 'sh fauna is limited. Fish community structure Check List | www.biotaxa.org/cl 1 Volume 11 | Number 6 | Article 1797 González-Díaz et al. | Ichthyofauna of the San Pedro Mezquital River, Mexico Figure 1. Location of San Pedro Mezquital River, Nayarit, Mexico and sampling sites. in the upper basin has been documented in the state MATERIALS AND METHODS of Durango (Huidobro-Campos et al. )<<Q; Charre- %e study was conducted in the watershed of the San Medellín et al. )<==; López-González )<=)). %ere are Pedro Mezquital River in the state of Nayarit, Mexico. limited and spatially scattered records of 'shes in the %ere were only six historical records in this basin. We middle and lower parts of the basin that only can be established (= sites including these records to collect found in national 'sh collections (Miller )<<Q; González- 'shes (Figure =; Table =). All of the samples were col- Díaz and Soria-Barreto )<=>); therefore the aim of this lected between May )<=< to May )<=). investigation was to describe the composition and Sampling gear was selected to re&ect habitat char- distribution of 'sh species present in the lower part of acteristics and environmental conditions. Sampling the San Pedro Mezquital River. equipment employed included cast nets (+ m diameter Check List | www.biotaxa.org/cl 2 Volume 11 | Number 6 | Article 1797 González-Díaz et al. | Ichthyofauna of the San Pedro Mezquital River, Mexico with =< mm mesh), gill nets (=< m long, ) m high and +< in ?<\ ethanol. Collections were carried out with the mm mesh), scoop nets and baited hooks in an attempt permits of Fishing of Development SGPA/DGVS/<=<??/=< to document all of the species at each of the (= sites. and DGOPA <)J[Q.=><+=<.=(?+ and were stored at the Each site was georeferenced with a GPS receiver (Magel- ichthyological collection at El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, lan explorist )<<). San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico (ECOSC). %e 'shes collected were preserved in a =<\ formalin All of the 'shes collected were identi'ed to species solution and were transported to the laboratory, where level. %is identi'cation was based in the published they were washed with running water and 'nally preserved keys and species descriptions of Hubbs (=Q>J), Hubbs Table 1 .Sampling sites in the San Pedro Mezquital River, Nayarit. Number Site Latitude (N) Longitude (W) 1 El Naranjo Creek, San Pedro Mezquital River 22°02މ12 ފ 104°51 މ43 ފ 2 San Pedro Mezquital River at San Pedro Ixcatán 22°02މ12 ފ 104°56 މ19 ފ 3 Tributary of San Pedro Mezquital River 21°59މ08 ފ 104°56 މ49 ފ 4 Tenamache Creek, San Pedro Mezquital River 21°57މ34 ފ 104°57 މ30 ފ 5 Linares Creek, San Pedro Mezquital River 21°57މ34 ފ 104°57 މ57 ފ 6 Malpaso Creek, San Pedro Mezquital River 21°56މ57 ފ 104°58 މ33 ފ 7 San Pedro Mezquital River 21°56މ58 ފ 104°58 މ43 ފ 8 Laguna del Mar, backwater San Pedro Mezquital River 21°56މ54 ފ 105°02 މ59 ފ 9 Laguna del Mar 2, backwater San Pedro Mezquital River 21°58މ08 ފ 105°03 މ23 ފ 10 El vado de San Pedro, branch San Pedro Mezquital River 21°58މ04 ފ 105°07 މ02 ފ 11 San Pedro Mezquital River under the bridge at Ruíz 21°57މ54 ފ 105°08 މ59 ފ 12 San Pedro Mezquital River in pump at Ruíz 21°57މ55.65ފ 105°09 މ30.80ފ 13 San Pedro Mezquital River in open air theater at Ruíz 21°56މ32 ފ 105°17 މ17 ފ 14 San Pedro Mezquital River under the bridge at Tuxpan 21°56މ44 ފ 105°17 މ51 ފ 15 San Pedro Mezquital River in front of Tapanco at Tuxpan 21°56މ59 ފ 105°18 މ04.25ފ 16 San Pedro Mezquital River in pump at Tuxpan 21°57މ08.30ފ 105°18 މ38.30ފ 17 San Pedro Mezquital River at Mezcal Tuxpan 21°56މ20.45ފ 105°21 މ31 ފ 18 San Pedro Mezquital River in the “Y” at Tuxpan 21°55މ54 ފ 105°22 މ46 ފ 19 Las Grullas, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°55މ45 ފ 105°30 މ39 ފ 20 Laguna del Pochote, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°54 މ54 ފ 105°30 މ29 ފ 21 La Grulla, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°54މ33 ފ 105°30 މ00 ފ 22 El Zanate 1, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°54މ03 ފ 105°30 މ30 ފ 23 Pesca del Pochote, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°54 މ03 ފ 105°30 މ02 ފ 24 La Boca de Lazareto, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°54 މ36 ފ 105°28 މ02 ފ 25 Laguna Agua Larga 2, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°54 މ29 ފ 105°28 މ07.50ފ 26 Laguna Agua Larga, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°53 މ60 ފ 105°27 މ54.50ފ 27 El Zanate, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°53މ24 ފ 105°28 މ33 ފ 28 La Boca del Mixtle, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°53 މ20 ފ 105°27 މ35 ފ 29 Istlacuahui, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°52މ52 ފ 105°28 މ39 ފ 30 Zacatal, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°52މ48 ފ 105°28 މ12 ފ 31 Lagoon Toluca, of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°51މ19 ފ 105°28 މ30 ފ 32 Lagoon Toluca, of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°50މ36 ފ 105°28 މ23 ފ 33 Con Tepoten, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°49މ10 ފ 105°25 މ34 ފ 34 C on Camarada, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°49މ12 ފ 105°26 މ25 ފ 35 El Puyeque, lagoon