Fish biodiversity and conservation in South America
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul · University of Louisiana at Lafayette · +3 more institutions
Abstract
The freshwater and marine fish faunas of South America are the most diverse on Earth, with current species richness estimates standing above 9100 species. In addition, over the last decade at least 100 species were described every year. There are currently about 5160 freshwater fish species, and the estimate for the freshwater fish fauna alone points to a final diversity between 8000 and 9000 species. South America also has c. 4000 species of marine fishes. The mega-diverse fish faunas of South America evolved over a period of >100 million years, with most lineages tracing origins to Gondwana and the adjacent Tethys Sea. This high diversity was in part maintained by escaping the mass extinctions and biotic…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 69.77
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 141
Authors
6Topics & keywords
- Biology
- Biodiversity
- Fish <Actinopterygii>
- Biodiversity conservation
- Fishery
- Ecology
- Sustainable cities and communities