Catálogo de peixes costeiros de Pernambuco, Nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

Marine biodiversity has a particular productivity and functionality, offering support to various habitats and keeping them more resilient to climate change. On the north and northeast coast of Brazil, waters are warm, which supports a variety of ecosystems, such as coral reefs, dunes, mangroves, and estuaries that house many species of flora and fauna. The coast of Pernambuco State has an approximate extension of 180 km and its ichthyofauna is estimated at more than 200 species. The lack of information about fish species from this coast, in a systematic way, through important didactic collections for the improvement and learning of students, such as catalogs containing information on taxonomy, biology and fishing are important sources for those working with the study of biodiversity and those interested in knowing the biodiversity of their own country. In addition, it generates a knowledge that can be used in different ways for environmental management. The ichthyofauna was collected on the north coast of Pernambuco, in the municipalities of Itapissuma, Itamaracá and Goiana (specifically in Catuama); and on the south coast, in the municipalities of Sirinhaém and Ipojuca (specifically in Suape). The fishes were sampled between the years of 2011 to 2015, totaling 99 fish samples along the coast. Six fishing gears were used: bottom trawl net, block net, seine, beach seine and gill net. The captured individuals were identified using specialized dichotomous keys, measured for standard (CP) and total length (CT), and photographs were taken and edited using free software. For the didactic collection, the individuals were fixed with 10% formaldehyde and preserved in 70% alcohol. A total of 151 species from 52 families were collected on the coast of Pernambuco, where 5 species are in the vulnerable category in the regional IUCN Red List. Also, 16 species had their CT higher than the CT found in the literature. The species were registered in the didactic-scientific collection of the Studies of Anthropogenic Impacts on Estuaries and Marine Biodiversity Laboratory located at the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, and it were deposited at the NUPEM-UFRJ and at the Oceanography Museum of UFPE.