Caracterización de la ictiofauna en la Laguna del Monte, provincia de Buenos Aires

The purpose of this study was to describe as well as to characterize the fish populations living in Del Monte lagoon, which belongs to the Encadenadas del Oeste system in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. This research was carried out using trammel nets with meshes of six different sizes at three sampling stations during October 2003. The species captured in the area of study were firstly identified. The specific diversity of each fishing site was subsequently estimated. In addition, sex ratio, size structure, and the relative abundance both in number and weight were also determined for each species. Total capture included 647 individuals, which corresponded to the following six species: mojarra Astyanax eigenmanniorum, dientudo Oligosarcus jenynsii, pejerrey Odontesthes bonariensis, carp Cyprinus carpio, sabalito Cyphocharax voga, and catfish Rhamdia quelen. The specific diversity was very similar at the three sampling stations. The mojarra Astyanax eigenmanniorum evidenced the highest relative abundance in number, it was followed by the dientudo Oligosarcus jenynsii and the pejerrey Odontesthes bonariensis. The highest ichthyomass corresponded to the carp Cyprinus carpio. The entrance of the latter to the Del Monte lagoon was corroborated, the highest number of samples was recorded near the outlet of Guaminí and Malleo-Leufú brooks. A marked decrease in the abundance of the pejerrey Odontesthes bonariensis as well as an increase in the number of the dientudo Oligosarcus jenynsii and the mojarra Astyanax eigenmanniorum were also observed.Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) - Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raul A. Ringuelet" (ILPLA