Fish database used in the paper: J.A. Maldonado-Ocampo, Vari, R.P., Usma, J.S. (2008) Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of Colombia. Biota Colombiana 9 (2) 143 - 237. This paper includes a checklist of the native freshwater fishes of Colombia by river basin.
Paper abstract: Data derived from the literature supplemented by examination of specimens in collections show that 1435 species of native fishes live in the freshwaters of Colombia. These species represent 14 orders and 47 families. Orders with the largest numbers of species in the Colombian continental ichthyofauna are the Characiformes (637 species), Siluriformes (524 species), Perciformes (124 species), and Gymnotiformes (74 species), with the remaining 10 orders having from 1 to 35 species. At the family level, the Characidae has the greatest number of species (399 species), with this followed by the Loricariidae (166 species), Cichlidae (114 species), Pimelodidae (54 species), and Trichomycteridae (54 species); the remaining 42 families having 1 to 52 species. Present data indicate that 311 of the species occur solely at locations within Colombia. Continued descriptions of new species from the continental waters of Colombia demonstrate that the present total underestimates the species-level diversity of the ichthyofauna. The 1435 species living in Colombian freshwaters represent approximately 5% of all freshwater and marine fish species now recognized worldwide and approximately 29% of the freshwater fish species known to inhabit the drainages across the expanse from the southern border of Mexico through to Chile and Argentina. Various historical and ecological factors potentially contributing to the species-level richness of the Colombian freshwater fish fauna are discussed (e.g. geology, climate, physiography, water chemistry).
Africa, North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Oceania
countries:
Africa: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Réunion, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Somaliland
North America: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Clipperton Island, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Navassa Island, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States, United States Virgin Islands
South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cyprus, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian territories, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, Abkhazia, Taiwan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Northern Cyprus, South Ossetia
Europe: Åland Islands, Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Svalbard, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City, Kosovo, Pridnestrovie (Transnistria)
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
freshwater ecoregions of the world (FEOW) according to WWF:
Africa:
Albertine Highlands, Amatolo - Winterberg Highlands, Ashanti, Bangweulu - Mweru, Bight Drainages, Cape Fold, Coastal East Africa, Comoros - Mayotte, Cuanza, Cuvette Centrale, Drakensberg - Maloti Highlands, Dry Sahel, Eastern Zimbabwe Highlands, Eburneo, Ethiopian Highlands, Etosha, Fouta - Djalon, Horn of Africa, Inner Niger Delta, Kafue, Kalahari, Karoo, Karstveld Sink Holes, Kasai, Lake Chad, Lake Malawi, Lake Rukwa, Lake Tana, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Turkana, Lake Victoria Basin, Lower Congo, Lower Congo Rapids, Lower Niger - Benue, Lower Nile, Lower Zambezi, Madagascar Eastern Highlands, Madagascar Eastern Lowlands, Mai Ndombe, Malagarasi - Moyowosi, Malebo Pool, Mascarenes, Mediterranean Northwest Africa, Middle Zambezi - Luangwa, Mount Nimba, Mulanje, Namib, Niger Delta, Nile Delta, Northern Eastern Rift, Northern Gulf of Guinea Drainages, Northern Upper Guinea, Northwestern Madagascar, Ogooue - Nyanga - Kouilou - Niari, Okavango, Pangani, S. Tome & Principe - Annobon, Sahara, Sangha, Senegal - Gambia, Seychelles, Shebelle - Juba, Southern Eastern Rift, Southern Gulf of Guinea Drainages - Bioko, Southern Kalahari, Southern Madagascar, Southern Temperate Highveld, Southern Upper Guinea, Sudanic Congo - Oubangi, Tana, Athi & Coastal Drainages, Tumba, Uele, Upper Congo, Upper Congo Rapids, Upper Lualaba, Upper Niger, Upper Nile, Upper Zambezi Floodplains, Volta, Western Equatorial Crater Lakes, Western Madagascar, Western Orange, Western Red Sea Drainages, Zambezian Headwaters, Zambezian Highveld, Zambezian Lowveld
North America:
Alaska & Canada Pacific Coastal, Alaskan Coastal, Ameca - Manantlan, Apalachicola, Appalachian Piedmont, Bahama Archipelago, Bermuda, Bonneville, Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Canadian Atlantic Islands, Central Arctic Coastal, Central Prairie, Chagres, Chesapeake Bay, Chiapas - Fonseca, Chiriqui, Coatzacoalcos, Cocos Island (Costa Rica), Colorado, Columbia Glaciated, Columbia Unglaciated, Cuatro Cienegas, Cuba - Cayman Islands, Cumberland, Death Valley, East Texas Gulf, Eastern Hudson Bay - Ungava, English - Winnipeg Lakes, Estero Real - Tempisque, Florida Peninsula, Gila, Grijalva - Usumacinta, Gulf of St.Lawrence Coastal Drainages, Guzman - Samalayuca, Hispaniola, Isthmus Caribbean, Jamaica, Lahontan, Laurentian Great Lakes, Lerma - Chapala, Llanos El Salado, Lower Mackenzie, Lower Mississippi, Lower Rio Grande - Bravo, Mayran - Viesca, Middle Missouri, Middle Saskatchewan, Mobile Bay, Mosquitia, Northeast US & Southeast Canada Atlantic Drainages, Oregon & Northern California Coastal, Oregon Lakes, Ouachita Highlands, Ozark Highlands, Panuco, Papaloapan, Pecos, Puerto Rico - Virgin Islands, Quintana Roo - Motagua, Rio Balsas, Rio Conchos, Rio Salado, Rio San Juan (Mexico), Rio Santiago, Rio Tuira, Sabine - Galveston, Sacramento - San Joaquin, San Juan (Nicaragua/Costa Rica), Santa Maria, Scotia - Fundy, Sierra Madre del Sur, Sinaloa, Sonora, Southern California Coastal - Baja California, Southern Hudson Bay, St.Lawrence, Teays - Old Ohio, Tennessee, Upper Mackenzie, Upper Mississippi, Upper Missouri, Upper Rio Grande - Bravo, Upper Saskatchewan, Upper Snake, Upper Usumacinta, Upper Yukon, US Southern Plains, Vegas - Virgin, West Florida Gulf, West Texas Gulf, Western Hudson Bay, Windward & Leeward Islands, Yucatan
South America:
Amazonas Estuary & Coastal Drainages, Amazonas Guiana Shield, Amazonas High Andes, Amazonas Lowlands, Atacama, Bonaerensean Drainages, Central Andean Pacific Slopes, Chaco, Cuyan - Desaguadero, Essequibo, Fluminense, Galapagos Islands, Guapore - Itenez, Guianas, Iguassu, Juan Fernandez Island, Laguna dos Patos, Lower Parana, Lower Uruguay, Madeira Brazilian Shield, Magdalena - Sinu, Mamore - Madre de Dios Piedmont, Mar Chiquita - Salinas Grandes, Maracaibo, North Andean Pacific Slopes - Rio Atrato, Northeastern Caatinga & Coastal Drainages, Northeastern Mata Atlantica, Orinoco Delta & Coastal Drainages, Orinoco Guiana Shield, Orinoco High Andes, Orinoco Llanos, Orinoco Piedmont, Paraguay, Paraiba do Sul, Parnaiba, Patagonia, Ribeira de Iguape, Rio Negro, S. Francisco, South America Caribbean Drainages - Trinidad, South Andean Pacific Slopes, Southeastern Mata Atlantica, Tapajos - Juruena, Titicaca, Tocantins - Araguaia, Tramandai - Mampituba, Ucayali - Urubamba Piedmont, Upper Parana, Upper Uruguay, Valdivian Lakes, Western Amazon Piedmont, Xingu
Asia:
Aceh, Anadyr, Andaman Islands, Aral Sea Drainages, Argun, Balkash - Alakul, Baluchistan, Biwa Ko, Borneo Highlands, Central & Eastern Java, Chao Phraya, Chin Hills - Arakan Coast, Chuya, Coastal Amur, Coastal Fujian - Zeijang, Dzungaria, East Chukotka, Eastern Borneo, Eastern Gulf of Thailand Drainages, Eastern Taiwan, Eastern Yellow Sea Drainages, Er Hai, Ganges Delta & Plain, Ganges Himalayan Foothills, Hainan, Hamgyong - Sanmaek, Helmand - Sistan, Honshu - Shikoku - Kyushu, Huang He Great Bend, Indian Ocean Slope of Sumatra & Java, Indus Himalayan Foothills, Inle Lake, Inner Mongolia Endorheic Basins, Irgyz -Turgai, Kamchatka & Northern Kurils, Kapuas, Khorat Plateau (Mekong), Kolyma, Koryakia, Kratie - Stung Treng (Mekong), Lake Baikal, Lake Issyk Kul - Upper Chu, Lake Lanao, Lake Poso, Lena, Lesser Sunda Islands, Liao He, Lower & Middle Indus, Lower & Middle Salween, Lower & Middle Syr Darya, Lower Amur, Lower Huang He, Lower Lancang (Mekong), Lower Yangtze, Mae Khlong, Malay Peninsula Eastern Slope, Malili Lakes, Malukku, Mekong Delta, Middle Amu Darya, Middle Amur, Middle Brahmaputra, Middle Yangtze, Mindanao, Namuda - Tapi, Nicobar Islands, Northeastern Borneo, Northern Annam, Northern Central Asian Highlands, Northern Central Sumatra - Western Malaysia, Northern Deccan Plateau, Northern Philippine Islands, Northwestern Borneo, Ob, Okhotsk Coast, Palawan - Busuanga - Mindoro, Qaidan, Sakhalin, Hokkaido, & Sikhote - Alin Coast, Shilka (Amur), Sitang - Irawaddy, Song Hong, Songhua Jiang, Southeastern Borneo, Southeastern Ghats, Southeastern Korean Peninsula, Southern Annam, Southern Central Sumatra, Southern Deccan Plateau, Southern Sumatra - Western Java, Sri Lanka Dry Zone, Sri Lanka Wet Zone, Sulawesi, Taimyr, Tarim, Tibetan Plateau Endorheic Drainages, Upper Amu Darya, Upper Brahmaputra, Upper Huang He, Upper Huang He Corridor, Upper Indus, Upper Irtysh, Upper Lancang (Mekong), Upper Salween, Upper Yangtze, Western Ghats, Western Mongolia, Western Taiwan, Xi Yiang, Yaghistan, Yenisei, Yunnan Lakes
Europe:
Aegean Drainages, Arabian Interior, Atlantic Northwest Africa, Barents Sea Drainages, Cantabric Coast - Languedoc, Caspian Highlands, Caspian Marine, Central & Western Europe, Central Anatolia, Coastal Levant, Crimea Peninsula, Dalmatia, Dnieper - South Bug, Dniester - Lower Danube, Don, Eastern Iberia, Esfahan, Gulf of Venice Drainages, Iceland - Jan Mayen, Ionian Drainages, Italian Peninsula & Islands, Jordan River, Kavir & Lut Deserts, Kuban, Kura - South Caspian Drainages, Lake Onega - Lake Ladoga, Lake Van, Lower Tigris & Euphrates, Namak, Northern Anatolia, Northern Baltic Drainages, Northern British Isles, Northern Hormuz Drainages, Norwegian Sea Drainages, Oman Mountains, Orontes, Orumiyeh, Sinai, Southeastern Adriatic Drainages, Southern Anatolia, Southern Baltic Lowlands, Southern Iberia, Southwestern Arabian Coast, Thrace, Turan Plain, Upper Danube, Upper Tigris & Euphrates, Vardar, Volga - Ural, Volga Delta - Northern Caspian Drainages, Western Anatolia, Western Caspian Drainages, Western Iberia, Western Transcaucasia
Iberic-Macaronesian Region (ER1), Pyrenees (ER2), Italy, Corsica and Malta (ER3), Alps (ER4), Dinaric Western Balkan (ER5), Hellenic Western Balkan (ER6), Eastern Balkan (ER7), Western Highlands (ER8), Central Highlands (ER9), The Carpathians (ER10), Hungarian Lowlands (ER11), Pontic Province (ER12), Western Plains (ER13), Central Plains (ER14), Baltic Province (ER15), Eastern Plains (ER16), Ireland and Northern Ireland (ER17), Great Britain (ER18), Iceland (ER19), Borealic Uplands (ER20), Tundra (ER21), Fenno-Scandian Shield (ER22), Taiga (ER23), The Caucasus (ER24), Caspic Depression (ER25), North Africa (ERX), Middle East (ERY)
ecosystem type:
rivers, lakes/ponds, wetlands, groundwater, general freshwater, coastal areas
