Distribution and abundance of fish in the Environmental Protection Area of Paracuru Dunes – CE, Brazil

Distribution and abundance of fish in the Environmental Protection Area of Paracuru Dunes – CE, Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36517/acmar.v59i1.94079

Abstract

This article aimed to contribute information 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 brevipinna and Crenicichla sp. are also not part of the native fauna but offer lower 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.

Keywords: Conservation unit. Ichthyofauna. Population ecology. Diversity.

Author Biographies

  • Rodrigo de Salles, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Ceará, Campus Paracuru

     

     

  • Rômulo Rôussel Cavalcante Arruda Filho, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Ceará, Campus Paracuru

     

     

  • Benaya Sanders Carneiro, Universidade Federal do Ceará – Faculdade de Medicina – Departamento de Patologia e Medicina Legal – Centro de Biomedicina

     

     

  • José Mozart de Albuquerque Araújo Júnior, Consultor de turismo e ambiental

     

     

Published

2026-03-24

How to Cite

Distribution and abundance of fish in the Environmental Protection Area of Paracuru Dunes – CE, Brazil: Distribution and abundance of fish in the Environmental Protection Area of Paracuru Dunes – CE, Brazil. (2026). Arquivos De Ciências Do Mar, 59(1). https://doi.org/10.36517/acmar.v59i1.94079