Ichthyofauna of the Bustamante River, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Priority Land Region for the State

Authors: Maria Lozano-Vilano, Jorge Contreras-Lozano, Armando Contreras-Balderas

Year: 2019

Abstract

The state of Nuevo Leon is in northern Mexico, and the Bustamante River is in the northwestern portion of this state. The area has limited rainfall and water is a vital resource for anthropocentric activities. The preservation of the rivers is very important, and the fish communities are override in this region. The study was conducted in a Priority Terrestrial Region, bordering Coahuila. This was the first study on fishes in this river, that the most of time is a close flood, is a tributary of the Salado River, for this reason, the objective was to determine the ichthyofauna, as well as conduct a zoogeographical and ecological analysis, and determine the presence of exotic and/or invasive species. Individuals were collected using seine net and electrofishing equipment, species were identified and stored in the Scientific Collection of FCB-UANL. We reported the presence of 8 native species, representing 6 families and 8 genera. There are 2 species under a status of protection laws of the country, Cyprinella cf. rutilla (Threatened) probably a new species and spotted minnow, Dionda melanops (Endangered). Zoogeographical affinity presents 4 Nearctic species and 4 Neotropical species, and two, Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus dolomieu and Tilapia probably Oreochromis sp. Indet., as exotic species were collected. It is important to continue surveys to detect species that are important for conservation.