Peces de la estrella fluvial inírida: ríos Guaviare, Inírida, Atabapo y Orinoco (Orinoquía colombiana)

Data derived from the literature supplemented with new collections made in the Inírida Fluvial Star (15th to 27th February 2008) reveal a species richness of 470 fishes species grouped in 224 genera, 40 families, and 10 orders. Its represents the higher species richness in the Orinoco River Basin. Orders with the largest numbers of species in the Star were Characiformes (237 species), Siluriformes (136 species), Perciformes (60 species), and Gymnotiformes (19 species), with the remaining 6 orders having from 1 to 7 species. At the family level, the Characidae has the greatest number of species (141 species), followed by the Cichlidae (55 species), Loricariidae (39 species), Pimelodidae (23 species), and Anostomidae (21 species); the remaining 35 families have 1 to 18 species. Present data indicate that 4 species are new records for the Orinoco River Basin and 19 are new for Colombia. The species richness by river was: 280 for the Inírida, 238 for Atabapo, 224 for Guaviare, and 82 for the Orinoco. In the Inírida Fluvial Star 335 species have commercial value as ornamentals, and 132 are harvested for food.