Brycon insignis Steindachner, 1877

Rodrigues, Leydiane Nunes, Silva, Juliana Paulo Da, Lima, Flávio César Thadeo, Ingenito, Leonardo Ferreira Da Silva, Duboc, Luiz Fernando, Machado, Débora Ferreira & Sarmento-Soares, Luisa Maria, 2021, The genus Brycon Müller & Troschel (Ostariophysi: Characiformes: Bryconidae) of Espírito Santo State, Brazil: new records and comments on conservation, Zootaxa 5072 (2), pp. 145-156 : 149-150

Brycon insignis Steindachner, 1877

Local name. Piabanha

Distribution and additional records. Brycon insignis is recorded from the rio Paraíba do Sul basin in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais states, plus several smaller coastal river drainages in Rio de Janeiro State, i.e., rio Guandu, rio Macaé, rio São João, rio Imbé and lagoa Feia system, and rio Itabapoana, at the border of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santos states ( Lima 2017). The species is herein being recorded for the first time from headwater areas of the rio Itabapoana, in southern Espírito Santo State, based on juveniles collected from the córrego Pratinha, Mimoso do Sul (MBML 8296, figure 4 ).

Habitat and ecological notes. Brycon insignis occurs mainly in large rivers with slow flow, unlike the sympatric B. opalinus (in the rio Paraíba do Sul basin), which favors headwater areas ( Lima 2017). Brycon insignis is an omnivore with adult specimens ingesting animal and vegetal foods in approximately equal proportions while juveniles tend to ingest a higher proportion of animal food ( Hilsdorf et al. 2008). The breeding period of Brycon insignis occurs during the summer ( Andrade-Talmelli et al. 2001, 2002; Matsumoto et al. 2009; Tolussi et al. 2010), males becoming mature at the second (~ 20 cm) and females at the third year of life (~ 25 cm) ( Hilsdorf et al. 2008). The specimens herein reported from Brycon insignis were captured in a tributary of the rio Muqui do Sul, a tributary of the rio Itabapoana basin. These specimens were found in a small, degraded stream with clear waters, lentic stretches alternated with rapids, about 60 to 120 centimeters of depth, two to five meters wide and a predominantly sand/clay substrate with very fine gravel. The degree of shading was low due to the surrounding area being modified into a pastureland.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Brycon insignis, MBML 8296, 107,4 mm SL: Brazil, Espírito Santo, rio Itabapoana basin.