Rio Salobra, Pantanal, Brazil

Environment

Surrounding area

Pantanal is an area in Brazil that covers the largest tropical wetland in the world. It is located in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, and extends into parts of Mato Grosso and Bolivia and Paraguay. It spreads over an area of 195,000 to 140,000 square kilometers. Pantanal is a home for over 400 variety of fish and upon thousands of invertebrates. Fish population contains about 80% of characiform.

Underwater landscape

Pantanal, clear water biotope, during a rainy season. Plants with small leaves, growing densely, along with pieces of driftwood and roots of nearby tree provides good shelter for small fishes like Apistogramma sp. Nannostomus sp. Corydoras sp.

Water is full of small crustaceans and insect larvae, giving an excellent food source and encourages fish to spawn. Quite low water level near the banks (only about 50cm) of the pond keeps the large predators away. Detritus, algae and protozoa that occurs in leave litter, on the wood and plants are a good source of food for fry. Underwater live is showing its beauty everywhere. In the places where sunlight reaches the water undisturbed by trees, and uncovered by leaves, aquatic vegetation occurs in its greatness.

Fishes:

• Paracheirodon innesi
• Hyphessobrycon sp.
• Aphyocharax sp.
• Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
• Hemigrammus sp.
• Gymnocorymbus sp.
• Corydoras sp.
• Otocinclus sp.
• Apistogramma sp.

Mollusk:

• Pomacea bridgesii

Plants:

• Helanthium sp.
• Echinodorus sp.
• Ludwigia sp.
• Vallisneria sp.
• Cabomba furcata
• Myriophyllum sp.
• Hydrocotyle leucocephala
• Egeria najas
• Salvinia auriculata
• Pontederia crassipes
• Pontederia azurea

Threats to ecology