Diapoma terofali

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	ACTINOPTERYGII	CHARACIFORMES	CHARACIDAE

Scientific Name:

Diapoma terofali

Species Authority:

(Géry, 1964)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Tetra
Spanish	–	Mojarra

Synonym/s:

Glandulocauda terofali Géry, 1964

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2009
Assessor/s:	Reis, R & Lima, F.
Reviewer/s:	Collen, B., Darwall, W., Ram, M. & Smith, K. (SRLI Freshwater Fish Evaluation Workshop)
Contributor/s:
Justification: This wide ranging species has been assessed as Least Concern because it is locally abundant. Although this species was under major threats in the past, it is unlikely that decline is still taking place.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is found in the lower Paraná and Uruguay River basins, in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.
Countries:	Native: Argentina; Brazil; Uruguay
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Locally abundant species.
Population Trend:	Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	D. terofali is a benthopelagic (ecological region at the lowest level of water body) species. It occurs in medium and small sized rivers and swims in small schools.
Systems:	Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	It is very likely that D. terofali is threatened by habitat degradation and water pollution. The Uruguay River basin has undergone intense deforestation since the onset of colonization. There is almost no original vegetation left, (there has been a 92.4% loss of original forest cover) and this has greatly affected the ecological balance, causing a desertification process to occur in the area (Diegues 1994). In addition, with there being at least 13 dams, there is a high degree of river fragmentation within the basin (Water Resources eAtlas 2005), and as a result, populations of most migratory fish species are severely diminished in the middle and upper Uruguay river (FAO 1996). However, it is unknown how this habitat alteration would have affected D. terofali. The Paraná basin is also threatened by degradation in the quality of the basin's water resources, due to the disposal of untreated domestic and industrial effluents (Diegues, 1994), however, this is largely in the upper part of the basin, whereas the lower Paraná basin has a relatively low human population and is still in a rather pristine condition over large parts (Junk 2005). However, the extent to which the above threats are acting on this species now is likely to have weakened significantly over the last decade and are probably not causing major decline now.

Major Threat(s):

It is very likely that D. terofali is threatened by habitat degradation and water pollution. The Uruguay River basin has undergone intense deforestation since the onset of colonization. There is almost no original vegetation left, (there has been a 92.4% loss of original forest cover) and this has greatly affected the ecological balance, causing a desertification process to occur in the area (Diegues 1994). In addition, with there being at least 13 dams, there is a high degree of river fragmentation within the basin (Water Resources eAtlas 2005), and as a result, populations of most migratory fish species are severely diminished in the middle and upper Uruguay river (FAO 1996). However, it is unknown how this habitat alteration would have affected D. terofali.

The Paraná basin is also threatened by degradation in the quality of the basin's water resources, due to the disposal of untreated domestic and industrial effluents (Diegues, 1994), however, this is largely in the upper part of the basin, whereas the lower Paraná basin has a relatively low human population and is still in a rather pristine condition over large parts (Junk 2005).

However, the extent to which the above threats are acting on this species now is likely to have weakened significantly over the last decade and are probably not causing major decline now.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	There are no conservation measures in place and research into general biology and ecology (habitat status and population trends) are required.

Conservation Actions:

There are no conservation measures in place and research into general biology and ecology (habitat status and population trends) are required.

Citation:	Reis, R & Lima, F. 2009. Diapoma terofali. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2013.
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