Biodiversity of Fishes
Zoogeographic Freshwater
Realms
Rainer Froese
(20.11.07)
What are Freshwater Fishes?
• Primary freshwater fishes
– little salt tolerance, saltwater acts as barrier to
distribution, about 13,000 species
• Secondary freshwater fishes
– some salt tolerance, may disperse through short
distances of coastal waters, derived from marine
ancestors, about 700 species
• Peripheral freshwater fishes
– Marine species that enter freshwaters, about 700
species, including diadromous species
Berra 2001, Freshwater Fish Distribution
Six Zoogeographic Realms
Alfred Russell Wallace, 1876. The Geographical Distribution of Animals
Simplified Geological Time Chart
Epoch
Million years
Event
2.0 - today
Retreat of last ice
Emergence of Homo sapiens
Cenozoic, Quaternary,
Pleistocene + Holocene
Tertiary, Paleocene
65
Origin of primates & modern
fishes (perciformes, flatfishes, ..)
Mesozoic, Triassic
248 – 213
First dinosours, origin of
mammals, ‘old’ fish groups
Paleozoic,
Carboniferous
360 – 286
First reptiles, primitive sharks
and bony fishes
Devonian
408 – 360
First amphibians, fish ancestors
Silurian
438 – 408
First jawed fishes
Ordovician
505 – 438
Spread of jawless fishes
Cambrian
590 – 505
Trilobites, hard-shelled invert.
Precambrian
4600 -590
Jellyfish, sea pens, worms,
algae
Permian, 225 m
Jurassic, 135 m
Triassic, 200 m
Cretaceous, 65 m
Plate Tectonics
Six Zoogeographic Realms
Alfred Russell Wallace, 1876. The Geographical Distribution of Animals
Climate Zones of the World
Freshwater Fishes by Realm
Zoogeographic realm
Species records
Percent
Nearctic
1,052
7.9
Palearctic
1,397
10.5
Neotropical
4,385
32.8
Ethiopian
3,072
23.0
Oriental
2,821
21.1
627
4.7
Australian
Distribution of freshwater species by zoogeographic realm, with 13,354 records
for 13,041 species, i.e., about 300 (2.4%) species occurred in more than one realm.
Introduced species and questionable occurrences were excluded.
Classes by Realm
Realm
Cephalaspidomorphi
Elasmobranchii Sarcopterygii
Actinopterygii
Nearctic
24
2
1,026
Palearctic
17
3
1,377
2
22
1
4,360
7
7
3,058
Neotropical
Ethiopian
Oriental
10
Australian
3
6
2,811
1
617
Phylogenetic Classes by zoogeographic realm, with 13,354 records for
13,041 species of fishes regularly found in freshwater.
Size by Realm
Length (cm)
1000
100
10
1
1 Nea
2 Pal
3 Neo
4 Eth
5 Ori
Zoogeographic realm
6 Aus
Species by Climate Zone
and Realm
Zoogeographic polar temperate subtropical tropical
realm
boreal
Nearctic
19
553
243
233
Palearctic
35
876
373
93
Neotropical
1
115
309
3920
Ethiopian
70
3001
Oriental
96
503
2213
Australian
51
81
493
Trophic Level by Realm
Trophic level
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1 Nea
2 Pal
3 Neo
4 Eth
5 Ori
Zoogeographic realm
6 Aus
Trophic Diversity by Realm
Realm
Nearctic
Palearctic
Neotropical
Ethiopian
Oriental
Australian
Trophic Species
levels
26
1,052
27
1,397
27
4,385
26
3,063
26
2,821
26
627
H'
J'
3.6
4.0
4.1
4.0
4.0
4.0
0.77
0.83
0.86
0.84
0.85
0.84
Analysis of food web complexity by realm; H’ is trophic diversity and J’ is
evenness of the Shannon index applied to trophic levels; trophic
levels with 0.1 class width.
Productivity by Realm
Zoogeographic
High Medium Low Very low
realm / Productivity
Nearctic
28
88
44
7
Palearctic
20
110
70
12
Neotropical
36
78
21
25
Ethiopian
45
62
21
14
Oriental
40
49
19
11
Australian
20
26
15
7
n
167
212
160
142
119
68
r’max
0.28
0.23
0.30
0.36
0.37
0.33
95% CL
0.241 – 0.309
0.201 – 0.250
0.258 – 0.338
0.309 – 0.401
0.314 – 0.416
0.266 – 0.401
Distribution of freshwater fishes by zoogeographic realm and productivity;
868 species with available data, with indication of the approximated r’max.
Top 10 Nearctic Fish Families
Family
Common Name
Species
Cyprinidae
Minnows or carps
293
Percidae
Perches
169
Catostomidae
Suckers
72
Poeciliidae
Poeciliids
71
Goodeidae
Splitfins
52
Ictaluridae
North American freshwater catfishes
47
Salmonidae
Salmonids
46
Cyprinodontidae Pupfishes
39
Atherinopsidae
Neotropical silversides
38
Fundulidae
Topminnows and killifishes
32
Total: 55 Families
Top 10 Palearctic Fish Families
Family
Common Name
Cyprinidae
Minnows or carps
576
Salmonidae
Salmonids
154
Balitoridae
River loaches
148
Cobitidae
Loaches
95
Gobiidae
Gobies
94
Bagridae
Bagrid catfishes
35
Sisoridae
Sisorid catfishes
25
Abyssocottidae
Deep-water sculpins
22
Cichlidae
Cichlids
22
Cyprinodontidae Pupfishes
Total: 76 Families
Species
22
Top 10 Neotropical Fish Families
Family
Common Name
Species
Characidae
Characins
Loricariidae
Armored catfishes
682
Cichlidae
Cichlids
401
Rivulidae
Rivulines
231
Heptapteridae
Pimelodella catfishes
186
Callichthyidae
Callichthyid armored catfishes
176
1066
Trichomycteridae Pencil or parasitic catfishes
172
Poeciliidae
Poeciliids
154
Anostomidae
Headstanders
133
Curimatidae
Curimata characins
Total: 88 Families
98
Top 10 Ethiopian Families
Family
Common Name
Species
Cichlidae
Cichlids
1076
Cyprinidae
Minnows or carps
523
Aplocheilidae
Killifishes
221
Mormyridae
Elephantfishes
203
Mochokidae
Squeakers or upside-down catfishes
189
Alestiidae
African tetras
110
Citharinidae
Citharinid tetras
102
Bagridae
Bagrid catfishes
96
Poeciliidae
Poeciliids
82
Clariidae
Airbreathing catfishes
76
Total: 70 Families
Top 10 Oriental Fish Families
Family
Common Name
Species
Cyprinidae
Minnows or carps
1058
Balitoridae
River loaches
458
Gobiidae
Gobies
185
Bagridae
Bagrid catfishes
133
Cobitidae
Loaches
105
Sisoridae
Sisorid catfishes
101
Osphronemidae Gouramies
91
Siluridae
Sheatfishes
75
Akysidae
Stream catfishes
36
Hemiramphidae Halfbeaks
Total: 96 Families
32
Top 10 of Australian Families
Family
Common Name
Gobiidae
Gobies
Eleotridae
Sleepers
Species
108
70
Melanotaeniidae Rainbowfishes, blue eyes
67
Galaxiidae
Galaxiids
41
Terapontidae
Grunters or tigerperches
39
Ariidae
Sea catfishes
25
Atherinidae
Silversides
23
Plotosidae
Eeltail catfishes
23
Hemiramphidae Halfbeaks
20
Ambassidae
20
Asiatic glassfishes
Total: 72 Families
Exercises
• In FishBase, select one of these lakes:
Malawi, Laguna de Bay, Lake Waccamaw
• Discuss
– realm
– climate zone
– number of species and Families
– dominant Families
– median length and median trophic level
– Percent introduced