The fish community of an upland stream in the Central Amazon (Presidente Figueiredo - Amazonas - Brazil)

BARBOSA¹, R.P., FREITAS¹, C.E. de C. & SANTOS¹, S.M. dos

¹ Universidade do Amazonas, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias, Departamento de Ciências Pesqueiras, Av. General Rodrigo Octávio, n.3000, CEP 69077-00, Manaus-AM, Brasil. e-mail: roosevelt@bol.com.br; cefreitas@horizon.com.br; su.miranda@zipmail.com.br

ABSTRACT: The fish community of an upland stream in Central Amazon (Presidente Figueiredo-Amazonas-Brazil) was studied by experimental fisheries using gillnets and fish trap in two sampling sites of the Lajes stream, a low order river located approximately 100 km from Manaus. A total of 10 fish species of Characiformes, Siluriformes, Perciformes and Gymnotiformes were collected. The diversity index and species abundance models showed significant differences between the assemblages of each experimental unity, indicating the existence of a longitudinal gradient explained by the presence of natural barriers, with rapids and waterfalls.

Key-words: fish community, rapids, waterfalls, Amazon, stream.