Fishes in the lower San Pedro Mezquital River, Nayarit, Mexico

Abstract

The San Pedro Mezquital River is the seventh largest river in Mexico, and flows through the Sierra Madre Occidental into the Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve, on the coast of the state of Nayarit. The present study is to conform a systematic checklist of fishes in the lower basin of the San Pedro Mezquital River. In total, 52 species were collected from 24 families. Four native species were collected (Atherinella crystallina, Poecilia butleri, Poeciliopsis latidens and Poeciliopsis prolifica) that are federally protected. Five of the collected species were new records for the state of Nayarit. This checklist constitutes a first approximation of the fish fauna present in the San Pedro Mezquital River. However, the construction of the Las Cruces dam upstream, will modify the basin hydrology, worsen the introduction of exotic species and create habitat loss, which can have immediate negative impacts on the fish communities in this region.

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biodiversity data
Fishes in the lower San Pedro Mezquital River, Nayarit, Mexico
Alfonso Ángel González-Díaz1, 3, Miriam Soria-Barreto2, 3*, Leonardo Martínez-Cardenas3 and
Manuel Blanco y Correa4
1 El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Carretera Panamericana y Periférico Sur s/n, Barrio María Auxiliadora, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas
c.p. 29290, Mexico
2 CONACYT Research Fellow – El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Carretera Panamericana y Periférico Sur s/n, Barrio María Auxiliadora, San
Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas c.p. 29290, Mexico
3 Unidad Académica de Agricultura, Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit, km 9 Carretera Tepic - Compostela. Xalisco, Nayarit, México
4 Secretaría de Investigación y Posgrado, Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit, Ciudad de la Cultura Amado Nervo s/n, 63190 Tepic, Nayarit,
Mexico
* Corresponding author: E-mail: mmsoriab@gmail.com
Abstract: e San Pedro Mezquital River is the
seventh largest river in Mexico, and ows through the
Sierra Madre Occidental into the Marismas Nacionales
Biosphere Reserve, on the coast of the state of Nayarit.
e present study is to conform a systematic checklist
of shes in the lower basin of the San Pedro Mezquital
River. In total,  species were collected from 
families. Four native species were collected (Atherinella
crystallina, Poecilia butleri, Poeciliopsis latidens and
Poeciliopsis prolica) that are federally protected. Five of
the collected species were new records for the state of
Nayarit. is checklist constitutes a rst approximation
of the sh fauna present in the San Pedro Mezquital
River. However, the construction of the Las Cruces dam
upstream, will modify the basin hydrology, worsen the
introduction of exotic species and create habitat loss,
which can have immediate negative impacts on the sh
communities in this region.
Key words: Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve,
freshwater shes, diversity, tropical river, introduced
shes
INTRODUCTION
Biological inventories have contributed to the
knowledge of Mexican sh fauna, and have allowed
scientists and natural resource managers to evaluate
the ecological and biological attributes of aquatic
communities in marine, estuarine and freshwater
ecosystems. However, in many regions of Mexico,
the ichthyofauna is not well documented. erefore,
additional evaluations of the biodiversity are needed to
develop eective conservation strategies for freshwater
biodiversity.
e San Pedro Mezquital basin is one of least studied
freshwater ecosystem in the state of Nayarit, Mexico
(González-Díaz and Soria-Bar reto ). With a length of
 km and a surface area of ,, ha, the river ows
through the states of Durango, Zacatecas and Nayarit.
e San Pedro Mezquital is the seventh largest river in
Mexico. It ows through the Sierra Madre Occidental and
links the desert of Chihuahua to the Gulf of California,
eectively linking Nearctic and Neotropical regions.
e watershed begins north of Durango City and
includes the Tunal, Santiago Bayacora and Súchil and
the Mezquital rivers. After the river crosses the Sierra
Madre Occidental it ows into the Laguna Grande de
Mexcaltitán, part of the Marismas Nacionales Biosphere
Reserve in Nayarit. Near to the ocean, the morphology
of the river is formed by lacustrine deltas in lakes and
estuarine marshes (Tamayo ; INEGI ; WWF
; Blanco y Correa ).
Historically, human populations in the region have
depended on the San Pedro Mezquital River for water
and food (shes) (WWF ). However, inadequate
management of the basin has led to a decline in the
quality and quantity of the ecosystem services provided
by the river. roughout the basin, freshwater sheries
are declining due to over-exploitation and pollution
from sewage (INEGI ). Other land-use activities,
such as livestock grazing, agricultural development
and deforestation have also negatively aected the
river. Moreover, the imminent construction of the
hydroelectric dam Las Cruces upstream of San Pedro
Ixcatán, planned for  (SENER ), threatens
freshwater communities of the river.
Although the basin has enormous cultural, economic
and ecological value in western Mexico, research on
the sh fauna is limited. Fish community structure
Check List 11(6): 1797, 26 November 2015 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15560/11.6.1797
ISSN 1809-127X © 2015 Check List and Authors
6
11
1797
26 November 2015
Lists of species

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González-Díaz et al. | Ichthyofauna of the San Pedro Mezquital River, Mexico
MATERIALS AND METHODS
e study was conducted in the watershed of the San
Pedro Mezquital River in the state of Nayarit, Mexico.
ere were only six historical records in this basin. We
established  sites including these records to collect
shes (Figure ; Table ). All of the samples were col-
lected between May  to May .
Sampling gear was selected to reect habitat char-
acteristics and environmental conditions. Sampling
equipment employed included cast nets ( m diameter
in the upper basin has been documented in the state
of Durango (Huidobro-Campos et al. ; Charre-
Medellín et al. ; López-González ). ere are
limited and spatially scattered records of shes in the
middle and lower parts of the basin that only can be
found in national sh collections (Miller ; González-
Díaz and Soria-Barreto ); therefore the aim of this
investigation was to describe the composition and
distribution of sh species present in the lower part of
the San Pedro Mezquital River.
Figure 1. Location of San Pedro Mezquital River, Nayarit, Mexico and sampling sites.

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González-Díaz et al. | Ichthyofauna of the San Pedro Mezquital River, Mexico
Table 1.Sampling sites in the San Pedro Mezquital River, Nayarit.
Number Site Latitude (N) Longitude (W)
1 El Naranjo Creek, San Pedro Mezquital River 22°02ʹ12ʺ 104°51ʹ43ʺ
2 San Pedro Mezquital River at San Pedro Ixcatán 22°02ʹ12ʺ 104°56ʹ19ʺ
3 Tributary of San Pedro Mezquital River 21°59ʹ08ʺ 104°56ʹ49ʺ
4 Tenamache Creek, San Pedro Mezquital River 21°57ʹ34ʺ 104°57ʹ30ʺ
5 Linares Creek, San Pedro Mezquital River 21°57ʹ34ʺ 104°57ʹ57ʺ
6 Malpaso Creek, San Pedro Mezquital River 21°56ʹ57ʺ 104°58ʹ33ʺ
7 San Pedro Mezquital River 21°56ʹ58ʺ 104°58ʹ43ʺ
8 Laguna del Mar, backwater San Pedro Mezquital River 21°56ʹ54ʺ 105°02ʹ59ʺ
9 Laguna del Mar 2, backwater San Pedro Mezquital River 21°58ʹ08ʺ 105°03ʹ23ʺ
10 El vado de San Pedro, branch San Pedro Mezquital River 21°58ʹ04ʺ 105°07ʹ02ʺ
11 San Pedro Mezquital River under the bridge at Ruíz 21°57ʹ54ʺ 105°08ʹ59ʺ
12 San Pedro Mezquital River in pump at Ruíz 21°57ʹ55.65ʺ 105°09ʹ30.80ʺ
13 San Pedro Mezquital River in open air theater at Ruíz 21°56ʹ32ʺ 105°17ʹ17ʺ
14 San Pedro Mezquital River under the bridge at Tuxpan 21°56ʹ44ʺ 105°17ʹ51ʺ
15 San Pedro Mezquital River in front of Tapanco at Tuxpan 21°56ʹ59ʺ 105°18ʹ04.25ʺ
16 San Pedro Mezquital River in pump at Tuxpan 21°57ʹ08.30ʺ 105°18ʹ38.30ʺ
17 San Pedro Mezquital River at Mezcal Tuxpan 21°56ʹ20.45ʺ 105°21ʹ31ʺ
18 San Pedro Mezquital River in the “Y” at Tuxpan 21°55ʹ54ʺ 105°22ʹ46ʺ
19 Las Grullas, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°55ʹ45ʺ 105°30ʹ39ʺ
20 Laguna del Pochote, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°54ʹ54ʺ 105°30ʹ29ʺ
21 La Grulla, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°54ʹ33ʺ 105°30ʹ00ʺ
22 El Zanate 1, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°54ʹ03ʺ 105°30ʹ30ʺ
23 Pesca del Pochote, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°54ʹ03ʺ 105°30ʹ02ʺ
24 La Boca de Lazareto, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°54ʹ36ʺ 105°28ʹ02ʺ
25 Laguna Agua Larga 2, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°54ʹ29ʺ 105°28ʹ07.50ʺ
26 Laguna Agua Larga, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°53ʹ60ʺ 105°27ʹ54.50ʺ
27 El Zanate, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°53ʹ24ʺ 105°28ʹ33ʺ
28 La Boca del Mixtle, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°53ʹ20ʺ 105°27ʹ35ʺ
29 Istlacuahui, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°52ʹ52ʺ 105°28ʹ39ʺ
30 Zacatal, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°52ʹ48ʺ 105°28ʹ12ʺ
31 Lagoon Toluca, of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°51ʹ19ʺ 105°28ʹ30ʺ
32 Lagoon Toluca, of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°50ʹ36ʺ 105°28ʹ23ʺ
33 Con Tepoten, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°49ʹ10ʺ 105°25ʹ34ʺ
34 Con Camarada, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°49ʹ12ʺ 105°26ʹ25ʺ
35 El Puyeque, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°49ʹ01ʺ 105°26ʹ03ʺ
36 El Otate, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°48ʹ50ʺ 105°27ʹ25ʺ
37 Playa Los Caimanes, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°49ʹ05ʺ 105°29ʹ52ʺ
38 La Borrega, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°48ʹ55ʺ 105°30ʹ21ʺ
39 La Borrega 1, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°48ʹ44ʺ 105°30ʹ31ʺ
40 El Tesoro, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°48ʹ50ʺ 105°30ʹ59ʺ
41 Pond Campo Los Limones, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°48ʹ11.24ʺ 105°24ʹ49.59ʺ
42 Los Jiotes, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°47ʹ49ʺ 105°26ʹ57.45ʺ
43 El Canal, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°46ʹ49ʺ 105°27ʹ30’.30ʺ
44 Las Conchitas lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°46ʹ59ʺ 105°28ʹ11.60ʺ
45 San Sebastián, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°47ʹ36ʺ 105°29ʹ22ʺ
46 La Barra, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°46ʹ49ʺ 105°29ʹ27ʺ
47 Zavala, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°47ʹ29.50ʺ 105°28ʹ58ʺ
48 El Troncón, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°47ʹ07ʺ 105°29ʹ36ʺ
49 Estuary Toromocho, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°46ʹ04.30ʺ 105°29ʹ29ʺ
50 Los Pájaros, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°45ʹ32ʺ 105°29ʹ56ʺ
51 El Espuelón, lagoon system of Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve 21°45ʹ32ʺ 105°29ʹ45ʺ
with  mm mesh), gill nets ( m long,  m high and 
mm mesh), scoop nets and baited hooks in an attempt
to document all of the species at each of the  sites.
Each site was georeferenced with a GPS receiver (Magel-
lan explorist ).
e shes collected were preserved in a  formalin
solution and were transported to the laboratory, where
they were washed with running water and nally preserved
in  ethanol. Collections were carried out with the
permits of Fishing of Development SGPA/DGVS//
and DGOPA .. and were stored at the
ichthyological collection at El Colegio de la Frontera Sur,
San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico (ECOSC).
All of the shes collected were identied to species
level. is identication was based in the published
keys and species descriptions of Hubbs (), Hubbs

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González-Díaz et al. | Ichthyofauna of the San Pedro Mezquital River, Mexico
and Miller (), Miller (), Arredondo-Figueroa
and Guzmán-Arroyo (), Marceniuk et al. ()
and Miller (). For marine and estuarine shes the
work of Fischer et al. (), Allen and Robertson (),
Castro-Aguirre et al. (, ) and Robertson and
Allen () were used.
A systematic checklist was made with taxonomic
categories above the genus level following the
classication of Nelson (). Genera and species
within families were arranged in alphabetical order.
Nomenclature, authorities and years of description of
each species were obtained from the on-line work of
Eschmeyer and Fricke (). e ecotonic classication
was listed according to classication of Castro-Aguirre
et al. (). e protection categories were obtained
from American Fisheries Society list (Jelks et al. ),
the Mexican Ocial Norm NOM- () and the
Red List (IUCN ). e frequencies of occurrence
were calculated, using the percentage of occurrence of
each species for all sampling sites.
RESULTS
e sh fauna in the San Pedro Mezquital River,
Nayarit, consisted of  families,  genera, and 
species (Table ). Centropomidae (six species), Poecili-
idae (ve species) and Gerreidae (ve species) were the
most diverse sh families in the study region (Table ).
According to species descriptions (Castro-Aguirre et al.
),  species were classied as freshwater species,
while  were marine species with some tolerance to
freshwater. Five exotic species were collected: Grass Carp,
Ctenopharyngodon idella; Common Carp, Cyprinus carpio;
Yucatan Gambusia, Gambusia yucatana; and two Tilapia,
Oreochromis mossambicus and O. niloticus (Table ).
Moreover, four species were collected with some level
of international and national protection: Atherinella
crystallina (Near reatened on the IUCN Red List,
); Poecilia butleri (protected by Mexican Ocial
Norm NOM-); Poeciliopsis latidens [Near reatened
species on the IUCN Red List (); reatened on the
NOM- and by the American Fisheries Society (Jelks
et al. )], and Poeciliopsis prolica [Near reatened
on the IUCN Red List ()] (Table ).
Eight species were broadly distributed (> of
the sites), Oreochromis niloticus was the most widely
distributed ( of sites), followed by Centropomus
armatus (. of sites), Cichlasoma beani (. of
sites), Atherinella crystallina (. of sites); Lile stolifera,
Mugil curema and Gobiomorus maculatus (. of sites),
and Poecilia butleri (. of sites; Table ).
DISCUSSION
e sh fauna present in the lower San Pedro
Mezquital River in the state of Nayarit reects the
hydrological and geological history of the region and the
strong links between freshwater and marine-estuarine
ecosystems. For example, freshwater species such as
A. crystallina, C. beani, P. butleri and P. latidens are also
found in nearby watersheds of the Santiago, Ameca
and Baluarte rivers, among others (Miller , ).
ese fauna are similar as a result of connections and
isolations events between the upper part of San Pedro
Mezquital River and its basins, during the Pleistocene
(Domínguez-Domínguez et al. ).
e sh fauna is dominated by marine-estuarine
species, suggesting there is a strong inuence marine
from tidal, waves, saline intrusion and storm surges in
the Pacic Coastal Plain (Blanco y Correa ).
Fish diversity in the lower San Pedro Mezquital River
is high, and  species were documented that correspond
to  of the entire basin. ese species live in a relatively
small area compared with other nearby aquatic systems.
For instance, the Agua Brava-Teacapán lagoon, a much
larger and more environmentally complex system
located near the river basin, has  species of shes
(Álvarez-Rubio et al. ). e recorded data suggest
that the San Pedro Mezquital River also has greater
species richness than both the Ameca River ( species;
Guzmán and Lyons ) and the Santiago River (up to
 species; Gómez-Balandra et al. ).
Notably, the present study reported four species
that had not been previously documented in the state
of Nayarit (González-Díaz and Soria-Barreto ):
Ctenopharyngodon idella, G ambusia yucatana, Oreochromis
niloticus and Aboma etheostoma.
Additionally, four of the native species we collected are
classied as protected. It is necessary to do more research
to provide biological and ecological information of these
species, and to determine their real conservation status
and the possible threats they face in the basin.
e San Pedro Mezquital River is under anthropogenic
activities such as waste water discharges (INEGI ),
presence of exotic species and overshing. In addition
the construction of the hydroelectric Las Cruces
dam, will strongly aect the aquatic habitats and sh
communities. Dams alters the ow regime, temperature
and nutrients in rivers, and also act as a barriers for
species dispersal, resulting in fragmentation of habitat,
migration interruption and changes of habitat and
structure of aquatic communities (Marmulla ,
Guzmán et al. ). Damming limits and reduces the
distribution of shes and diminishes population of
native and endemic species (Terra et al. ; Gómez-
Balandra et al. ).
e present work is the rst attempt to enumerate
the sh fauna of the lower San Pedro Mezquital River.
Further seasonal sampling is required in order to
document changes on the physicochemical conditions
of water and sh communities. e results of this
research serve as a baseline of the sh diversity and

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González-Díaz et al. | Ichthyofauna of the San Pedro Mezquital River, Mexico
Table 2. Checklist of sh fauna of the San Pedro Mezquital River, Nayarit. Mexico. M= marine origin, F= freshwater origin, E= exotic. Ecotonic classication
1= stenohaline, 2= euryhaline, 3= primary, 4= secondary, 5=vicarious, 6= estuarine, 7= catadromous. Protection category (A)= threatened NOM-059,
(Pr)= in special protection NOM-059, (NT) = near threatened Red List, (Am) = Threatened (Jelks et al. 2008).
ORDER / Family
Species Category
Relative
frequency (%) Voucher ECOSC
MYLIOBATIFORMES / Urotrygonidae
Urobatis cf. halleri Cooper, 1863 M, 1 3.9 8362, 8385
ELOPIFORMES / Elopidae
Elops anis Regan, 1909 M, 2 7.8 8291, 8308, 8313, 8365, 8378
ANGUILLIFORMES / Ophichthidae
Myrophis vafer Jordan & Gilbert, 1883 M, 2 2 8130
CLUPEIFORMES / Engraulidae
Anchoa analis (Miller, 1945) M, 2 11.8 8122, 8127, 8136, 8140, 8158, 8171
Anchoa lucida (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) M, 2 5.9 8159, 8207, 8210
Clupeidae
Dorosoma smithi Hubbs & Miller, 1941 M, 5 13.7 7907, 7941, 7947, 7983, 8011, 8072, 8170, 8237
Lile stolifera (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) M, 2, 6 35.3 7918, 8003, 8060, 8067, 8073, 8076, 8081, 8092, 8100, 8107, 8112, 8156,
8206, 8223, 8230, 8289, 8312, 8321, 8359, 8364
GONORYNCHIFORMES / Chanidae
Chanos chanos (Forsskål, 1775) M, 1 3.9 8287, 8320
CYPRINIFORMES / Cyprinidae
Ctenopharyngodon idella (Valenciennes, 1844) F, E, 3 2 8113
Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758 F, E, 3 2 8290
SILURIFORMES / Ictaluridae
Ictalurus cf. dugesii (Bean, 1880) F, 3 3.9 7943, 7949, 7956, 7970, 8014, 8020
Ariidae
Sciades guatemalensis (Günther, 1864) M, 2 21.6 8028, 8108, 8116, 8147, 8178, 8200, 8204, 8208, 8219, 8284, 8356
Sciades seemanni (Günther, 1864) M, 2 15.7 8166, 8190, 8201, 8264, 8304, 8317, 8372, 8386, 8392, 8402
Cathorops liropus (Bristol 1897) M, 2 15.7 8117, 8131, 8167, 8179, 8189, 8191, 8226, 8272, 8285
MUGILIFORMES / Mugilidae
Agonostomus monticola (Bancroft, 1836) M, 7 5.9 7909, 8005, 8032
Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758 M, 2 2 8296
Mugil curema Valenciennes, 1836 M, 2 35.3 8139, 8141, 8163, 8188, 8198, 8235, 8249, 8262, 8280, 8283, 8297, 8311,
8315, 8326, 8348, 8368, 8371, 8375, 8384, 8391, 8394, 8398, 8399, 8404, 8409
ATHERINOFORMES / Atherinopsidae
Atherinella crystallina (Jordan & Culver, 1895) M, 5, (NT) 39.2 7892, 7896, 7903, 7911, 7915, 7921, 7923, 7927, 7932, 7944, 7957, 7965,
7974, 7985, 7988, 7994, 8000, 8022, 8041, 8047, 8057, 8064, 8078, 8089,
8098, 8118, 8132, 8148, 8176, 8180, 8336, 8340
CYPRINODONTIFORMES / Poeciliidae
Gambusia yucatana Regan, 1914 F, E, 4 3.9 8085, 8102
Poecilia butleri Jordan, 1889 F, 4, (Pr) 33.3 7894, 7900, 7913, 7919, 7922, 7926, 7930, 7934, , 7950, 7961, 7971, 7977,
7992, 8006, 8015, 8021, 8025, 8033, 8037, 8044, 8052, 8061, 8086, 8095,
8103, 8242, 8335, 8339, 8355
Poeciliopsis latidens (Garman, 1895) F, 4, (A), (NT), (Am) 25.5 7895, 7901, 7910, 7914, 7920, 7931, 7935, 7951, 7962, 7972, 7978, 7987,
7993, 7998, 8007, 8026, 8034, 8038, 8045, 8053, 8062, 8087, 8096, 8104
Poeciliopsis prolica Miller, 1960 F, 4, (NT) 15.7 7902, 7952, 7963, 7973, 7979, 8027, 8039, 8054, 8063, 8088, 8331
Poeciliopsis viriosa Miller, 1960 F, 4 11.8 7936, 7964, 8040, 8046, 8055, 8105
PERCIFORMES / Centropomidae
Centropomus armatus Gill, 1863 M, 2 45.1 8119, 8125, 8133, 8143, 8149, 8168, 8172, 8181, 8184, 8192, 8202, 8220,
8228, 8239, 8244, 8250, 8253, 8265, 8274, 299, 8319, 8328, 8342, 8349,
8358, 8363, 8406
Centropomus medius Günther, 1864 M, 1 2 8286
Centropomus nigrescens Günther, 1864 M, 2 15.7 7937, 7953, 8008, 8109, 8173, 8193, 8255, 8300, 8343
Centropomus robalito Jordan & Gilbert, 1882 M, 2 5.9 8154, 8205, 8212
Centropomus unionensis Bocourt, 1868 M, 1 2 8120
Centropomus viridis Lockington, 1877 M, 2 3.9 8216, 8266
Carangidae
Caranx caninus Günther, 1867 M, 2 13.7 8227, 8273, 8318, 8370, 8373, 8379, 8387, 8393, 8405
Oligoplites altus (Günter, 1868) M, 2 7.8 8298, 8307, 8357, 8388
Lutjanidae
Lutjanus colorado Jordan & Gilbert, 1882 M, 1 7.8 8197, 8217, 8279, 8295
Gerreidae
Diapterus brevirostris (Sauvage, 1879) M, 2 27.5 8128, 8137, 8144, 8152, 8160, 8214, 8224, 8231, 8238, 8275, 8281, 8292,
8301, 8305, 8360, 8366, 8381, 8389, 8403
Continued

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González-Díaz et al. | Ichthyofauna of the San Pedro Mezquital River, Mexico
ORDER / Family
Species Category
Relative
frequency (%) Voucher ECOSC
Eucinostomus currani Zahuranec, 1980 M, 2 7.8 8232, 8309, 8322, 8407
Eucinostomus entomelas Zahuranec, 1980 M, 2 5.9 8233, 8276, 8367
Eugerres axillaris (Günther, 1864) M, 2 21.6 8123, 8145, 8194, 8211, 8215, 8234, 8268, 8277, 8282, 8302, 8306, 8323,
8361, 8382
Gerres simillimus Regan, 1907 M, 2 17.6 8195, 8269, 8278, 8293, 8303, 8310, 8314, 8324, 8353, 8374, 8383, 8408
Haemulidae
Pomadasys macracanthus (Günther, 1864) M, 2 7.8 8162, 8271, 8294, 8325
Sciaenidae
Micropogonias ectenes (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882) M, 1 3.9 8142, 8164
Cichlidae
Cichlasoma beani (Jordan, 1889) F, 4 43.1 7893, 7897, 7904, 7916, 7925, 7928, 7938, 7945, 7954, 7958, 7966, 7975,
7981, 7989, 7995, 7997, 8001, 8009, 8016, 8023, 8029, 8035, 8042, 8048,
8058, 8065, 8079, 8090, 8110, 8134, 8174, 8185, 8245, 8260, 8329, 8332,
8337, 8344
Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters, 1852) F, E, 4 27.5 7905, 7912, 7939, 8121, 8150, 8155, 8175, 8186, 8209, 8221, 8240, 8257,
8263, 8288, 8345, 8377, 8380
Oreochromis niloticus (Linneaus, 1758) F, E, 4 60.8 7898, 7906, 7917, 7929, 7940, 7946, 7959, 7967, 7976, 7982, 7990, 7996,
8002, 8010, 8017, 8024, 8030, 8036, 8043, 8049, 8059, 8066, 8071, 8075,
8080, 8091, 8099, 8106, 8111, 8169, 8177, 8182, 8187, 8203, 8213, 8222,
8229, 8241, 8243, 8246, 8251, 8252, 8256, 8258, 8261, 8330, 8333, 8338,
8346, 8350
Eleotridae
Dormitator latifrons (Richardson, 1844) M, 2, 6 7.8 8012, 8018, 8082, 8347, 8351
Eleotris picta Kner, 1863 M, 2, 6 17.6 7968, 8031, 8050, 8068, 8083, 8093, 8101, 8114, 8157, 8267
Gobiomorus maculatus (Günther, 1859) M, 2, 6 35.3 7899, 7924, 7942, 7948, 7955, 7960, 7969, 7986, 7991, 8004, 8013, 8019,
8051, 8069, 8074, 8084, 8094, 8115, 8126, 8135, 8151, 8183, 8247, 8254, 8352
Gobiidae
Aboma etheostoma (Jordan & Starks, 1895) M, 2 3.9 8390, 8397
Awaous transandeanus (Günther, 1861) M, 2, 6 3.9 7908, 7933
Gobionellus microdon (Gilbert, 1892) M, 2, 6 21.6 8124, 8129, 8138, 8146, 8161, 8196, 8248, 8259, 8270, 8334, 8354
PLEURONECTIFORMES / Paralichthyidae
Citharichthys gilberti Jenkins & Evermann, 1889 M, 2 9.8 8236, 8327, 8369, 8376, 8395, 8400
Achiridae
Achirus mazatlanus (Steindachneri, 1869) M, 2 13.7 8165, 8199, 8218, 8225, 8316, 8341, 8396
Trinectes fonsecensis (Günther, 1862) M, 2 11.8 7980, 7984, 7999, 8056, 8070, 8077, 8097
TETRAODONTIFORMES / Tetraodontidae
Sphoeroides annulatus (Jenyns, 1842) M, 2 2 8401
sh community structure before the operation and
construction of the Las Cruces dam. Consequently,
it will be necessary to evaluate the impacts that this
alteration will have downstream on the habitats and
aquatic fauna.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
is work was nanced by Gonzalo Río Arronte
Foundation, IAP and WWF. We thank Abraham
Aragón, Antonio Guerra, Pedro Rivas, Sarahy Reyes,
Erika Hernández, Jorge García and Yesicca Barreto for
their assistance in the eld. anks to Dario Alejandro
Navarrete Gutiérrez for the preparation of the map.
Also thanks to community shermen of Campo Los
Limones, Mexcaltitán, Tuxpan and Ruíz. Unidad
Académica de Agricultura of Universidad Autónoma de
Nayarit (UAN) oered us the infrastructure to develop
the work. anks to Allison Pease, Krista Capps, Rebecca
Quinones and anonymous reviewers for their valuable
comments that improved the manuscript.
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Author contributions: AAGD, MSB and LMC collected shes;
AAGD and MSB made the taxonomic determinations; AAGD, MSB,
LMC and MBC wrote the text.
Received:  August 
Accepted:  November 
Academic editor: Tiago P. Carvalho