Molecular identification of Cichla introduzidas nos reservatorios do Sul do Brasil

Species of peacock bass were introduced in several watersheds in South America and worldwide, mainly due to its importance to sport fishing, by being a fighting fish. A recent revision of the genus Cichla showed that the species introduced in reservoirs of the South, Southeast and Northeast regions of Brazil are two new species, described as Cichla kelberi (yellow peacock bass) and Cichla piquiti (blue peacock bass), erroneously identified as C. monoculus and C. ocellaris. With the purpose to identify the populations of Cichla in Paranapanema and Parana rivers, a total of 323 base pairs (bp) of the mtDNA control region were sequenced, obtained from 84 specimens of Cichla in six different localities (Tapajos river, Solimoes river, Capivara, Taquarucu and Rosana reservoirs in the Paranapanema river, and in the upper Parana river floodplain). The analyses revealed the genetic diversity of Cichla monoculus, introduced into the Capivara reservoir, originally from the region of Manaus (Amazonas State), and spread in the reservoirs downstream (Taquarucu and Rosana). The occurrence of the same haplotypes in the three reservoirs suggests one single introduction. This study confirmed the introduction of Cichla in the Capivara reservoir and showed the genetic diversity of Cichla in the Paranapanema river. Keywords: species introduction, C. monoculus, mitochondrial DNA, peacock bass, Parana river. Especies de tucunare foram introduzidas em inumeras bacias hidrograficas da America do Sul e em outras regioes do planeta, principalmente pelas suas caracteristicas esportivas, de peixe lutador. Revisao recente das especies do genero Cichla mostraram que as especies que foram introduzidas nos reservatorios das regioes Sul, Sudeste e Nordeste, sao duas especies novas, descritas como Cichla kelberi (tucunare amarelo) e Cichla piquiti (tucunare azul) identificadas erroneamente como C. monoculus e C. ocellaris. Com o objetivo de identificar as populacoes de Cichla presentes no rio Paranapanema e Parana, foram sequenciadas um total de 323 pares de bases (pb) da regiao controle (mtDNA) obtidas de 84 especime de Cichla em seis localidades diferentes (rio Tapajos, rio Solimoes, Reservatorios de Capivara, Taquarucu, Rosana localizados no rio Paranapanema e na bacia do alto rio Parana. Os dendrogramas e as analises das populacoes revelaram fortes evidencias de que Cichla monoculus foi introduzida no reservatorio de Capivara, proveniente da regiao de Manaus e se dispersou para os reser