Distributions of a Natural Coloniser and an Established Exotic Fish Species: Gephyrocharax valencia (Characiformes: Characidae) and Trichogaster trichopterus (Perciformes: Osphronemidae) in Trinidad

Abstract

The freshwater ichthyofaunal assemblage of Trinidad is dynamic, and our understanding of it is affected by changes in taxonomy and new findings. Phillip and Ramnarine (2001) listed 41 species of freshwater fish within Trinidad and Tobago, with no species unique to Tobago. Since then there have been three additions to the freshwater fish checklist, bringing the species richness up to 44. These three additions were the Three spot gourami, Trichogaster trichopterus, at one site in the Oropouche Drainage (Mohammed et al. 2010), the Driftwood catfish, Trachelyopterus galeatus, in the Caroni and Guayamare Rivers (Mohammed and Lalla 2013), and the characin, Gephyrocharax valencia, localised in the Moriquite and Moruga Rivers (Vanegas and Phillip 2013). The three species we examined here were chosen because they are the most recent additions to the fish assemblage and because they are important as a result of their potential ecological impacts.