A new species of the Cambeva variegata group (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from the Serra do Espinhaço, south-eastern Brazil, under severe risk of extinction.

The mountain ranges of southeastern and southern Brazil are inhabited by a great diversity of catfishes of the genus Cambeva. The Cambeva variegata group, diagnosed by having a prominent skin crest similar to an adipose fin, an interrupted supraorbital laterosensory canal, with an additional supraorbital S4 pore, and a relatively small premaxilla with an accentuated constriction on its lateral portion, occurs in a broad area of south-eastern Brazil, mostly within the savannah-like Cerrado vegetation at the northern-most part of the genus distribution. The new species described here was collected in streams of the Rio das Velhas drainage, Rio São Francisco basin, draining the Serra do Espinhaço.

Ichthyofauna from tributaries of the Paranapanema River basin, Cerqueira César municipality, southeastern Brazil.

Here we provide an ichthyofaunistic inventory of the Cerqueira César municipality, in the middle Paranapanema River drainage, upper Paraná River basin, São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil. Collections were carried out in 10 streams and in the Novo River, an important watercourse in the Paranapanema River basin. We caught a total of 808 individuals comprising 49 fish species.

Livestock in Riparian Areas: A Neglected Environmental Issue.

The presence of livestock in riparian areas raises several questions about the conservation and sustainable use of water resources and biodiversity in Brazil. Although the Native Vegetation Protection Law (No. 12,651) focuses on riparian vegetation, protected as Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs), it does not exclude the presence of livestock in these fragile areas.

An overview of vinasse pollution in aquatic ecosystems in Brazil.

We review the negative impacts of vinasse, a byproduct of alcohol distillation, on Brazil's freshwater ecosystems. We found a total of 37 pollution events between the years 1935 and 2023, with this number almost certainly an underestimate due to underreporting and/or unassessed events. Pollution by vinasse occurred both through accidents (e.

Irrigation dams threaten Brazilian biodiversity.

Brazil is among the main contributors to global biodiversity, which, in turn, provides extensive ecosystem services. Agriculture is an activity that benefits greatly from these ecosystem services, but at the same time is degrading aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and eroding Brazilian biodiversity. This conflict is growing, as emerging unsustainable legislative proposals that will benefit the agricultural sector are likely to accelerate the decline of biodiversity.

Notes on some type specimens of the Natural History Museum of Pirassununga, São Paulo, Brazil.

Professor Manuel Pereira de Godoy idealized the Natural History Museum of Pirassununga (MHNP, in Portuguese), State of São Paulo, Brazil, in 1938. In 1962, the MHNP was constructed in the backyard of his house. In 1977, the museum also received the type specimens of fishes from the defunct Estação Experimental de Biologia e Piscicultura de Pirassununga (EEBP).

First record of plastic ingestion by a freshwater stingray.

The abundance and dispersion of plastic particles in aquatic ecosystems has become pervasive resulting in the incorporation of these materials into food webs. Here we describe the first record of plastic ingestion by the freshwater white-blotched river stingray Potamotrygon leopoldi (Potamotrygonidae), an endemic and threatened species in the Xingu River, Amazon basin. Potamotrygonidae stingrays inhabit exclusively Neotropical rivers, occupying rocky substrate habitats and feeding mainly on benthic macroinvertebrates.

NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES: A dataset of occurrence and abundance of freshwater fishes in the Neotropics.

The Neotropical region hosts 4225 freshwater fish species, ranking first among the world's most diverse regions for freshwater fishes. Our NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set is the first to produce a large-scale Neotropical freshwater fish inventory, covering the entire Neotropical region from Mexico and the Caribbean in the north to the southern limits in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. We compiled 185,787 distribution records, with unique georeferenced coordinates, for the 4225 species, represented by occurrence and abundance data.

Ghost nets: A poorly known threat to Brazilian freshwater biodiversity.

Ghost nets constitute a serious threat to aquatic biodiversity, because they entangle animals as long as they persist in the environment. However, scientific literature in Brazil is virtually silent about this issue in inland ecosystems. Concerned with this gap, we conducted searches on YouTube BR to gather information about ghost nets in Brazilian freshwaters.

Digital media reveal negative impacts of ghost nets on Brazilian marine biodiversity.

Abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is responsible for the entanglement of several marine species. Based on a search of digital media (i.e.

Large-scale Degradation of the Tocantins-Araguaia River Basin.

The Tocantins-Araguaia Basin is one of the largest river systems in South America, located entirely within Brazilian territory. In the last decades, capital-concentrating activities such as agribusiness, mining, and hydropower promoted extensive changes in land cover, hydrology, and environmental conditions. These changes are jeopardizing the basin's biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Plastic pollution: A focus on freshwater biodiversity.

Plastics are dominant pollutants in freshwater ecosystems worldwide. Scientific studies that investigated the interaction between plastics and freshwater biodiversity are incipient, especially if compared to the marine realm. In this review, we provide a brief overview of plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems around the world.

Water diversion in Brazil threatens biodiversity.

Construction of water diversions is a common response to the increasing demands for freshwater, often resulting in benefits to communities but with the risk of multiple environmental, economic, and social impacts. Water-diversion projects can favor massive introductions and accelerate biotic homogenization. This study provides empirical evidence on the consequences of a proposed law intended to divert water from two large and historically isolated river basins in Brazil: Tocantins to São Francisco.

Moenkhausia goya (Characiformes: Characidae): a new species from the upper rio Tocantins basin, Central Brazil.

A new species of Moenkhausia is described from the upper rio Tocantins basin, States of Goiás and Tocantins, Brazil. Moenkhausia goya, new species, can be distinguished from its congeners by the shape of the humeral blotch in combination with a uniform dark pigmentation covering the interradial membranes of the dorsal and anal fins. Among congeners, the new species is most similar to M.

Aquaculture expansion in Brazilian freshwaters against the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

The Convention on Biological Diversity proposed the Aichi Biodiversity Targets to improve conservation policies and to balance economic development, social welfare, and the maintenance of biodiversity/ecosystem services. Brazil is a signatory of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and is the most diverse country in terms of freshwater fish, but its national policies have supported the development of unsustainable commercial and ornamental aquaculture, which has led to serious disturbances to inland ecosystems and natural resources. We analyzed the development of Brazilian aquaculture to show how current aquaculture expansion conflicts with all 20 Aichi Targets.

Moenkhausia venerei (Characiformes: Characidae), a new species from the rio Araguaia, Central Brazil.

Moenkhausia venerei is described from the rio Araguaia, Mato Grosso, Central Brazil. The new species differs from its congeners, except M. collettii and M.