CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

The genus Bryconamericus Eigenmann comprises about 50 species of small fishes reaching until 10 cm standard length. Among other characters, they have four teeth in the inner row of the premaxillary and a poorly varied coloration pattern. They live in lotic and lentic environments, being abundant in flooded areas formed by overflow of creeks, rivers and lagoons with dense submerged and floating vegetation. Species of the genus live from Central America to the Sauce GrandeRiver basin (38º56S-61º23O) in the South of Buenos Aires Province (Argentina). Thirteen species has been reported from Argentina, occurring in environments in northwestern, northeastern, eastern and center of the Argentinean territory. Bryconamericus iheringii is the widest distributed species, living in all the above mentioned areas, from the Bermejo River basin to southern Buenos Aires Province, which is the southern border of distribution of the genus. This wide distribution suggests a high degree of eurytopy. In Argentina, the northern border of distribution of the genus is given by B. iheringii and B. thomasi, both occurring in the Lipeo River in the Salta Province. MisionesProvince is the area with more endemics, with B. ikaa and B. pyahu reported from the Iguazú River basin, B. agna, B. mennii and B. sylvicola from the Paraná River basin and B. ytu found only in localities of the Uruguay River basin. Bryconamericus eigenmanni is only found in central Argentina, in CórdobaProvince and B. rubropictus in the northwestern Salta Province. Based on available material and new surveys, we analyze in this paper the distribution of the genus, providing numerous new localities for different species and a map with the distribution area of Bryconamericus in Argentina. Keywords: Ostariophysi-Bryconamericus-Distribution-Argentina