Synopsis
Population ecology of the troglobitic armored catfish, A. cryptophthalmus, from caves in São Domingos karst area of central Brazil, was studied in a two-census capture-mark-recapture study carried out during the dry season of 1999. Like many loricariids, including epigean Ancistrus catfishes from that area, A. cryptophthalmus is a typical bottom-dweller with a strong preference for rocky substrates in fast-flowing stream sectors. Relatively high population densities, when compared to other cavefishes, were recorded in the studied cave sections: 0.9 individuals m-2 in Angélica Cave and 0.5 individuals m-2 in Passa Três Cave. Passa Três Stream is a small tributary of the São Vicente Cave system, and the estimated population for Passa Três Cave (ca. 2000 m long) is around 1000 individuals. On the other hand, the large Angélica Cave Stream (~8km long) harbors a very large population, conservatively estimated at 20000 individuals. No fish movements of distances longer than 100 m were recorded in the 40-day period. In Passa Três Cave, a few movements of distances up to 60 m were detected. Proportion of mature females in Angélica Cave was higher than in Passa Três Cave, possibly reflecting a greater food availability in the first cave. Mean individual growth rates in Angélica Cave (1.35 mm month-1 for size class <41 mm SL, 0.17 mm month-1 for size class >41 mm SL) point to relatively high longevities, possibly attaining 15 years.
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Trajano, E. (2001). Habitat and population data of troglobitic armored cave catfish, Ancistrus cryptophthalmus Reis, 1987, from central Brazil (Siluriformes: Loricariidae). In: Romero, A. (eds) The biology of hypogean fishes. Developments in environmental biology of fishes, vol 21. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9795-1_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9795-1_14
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