Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 5725 No. 4: 4 Dec. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-12-04
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5725.4.3
Page range: 496-510
Abstract views: 154
PDF downloaded: 6

A checklist of the fishes of the Motagua River drainage of western Honduras

Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales de Honduras (IBIOAH) San Pedro Sula; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH); Honduras; 11101
Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales de Honduras (IBIOAH) San Pedro Sula; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH); Honduras; 11101
School of Natural Resources; University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture; Knoxville; Tennessee; USA
School of Natural Resources; University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture; Knoxville; Tennessee; USA
Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas;Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas; Tuxtla Gutiérrez; Chiapas; México
Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas;Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas; Tuxtla Gutiérrez; Chiapas; México
Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales de Honduras (IBIOAH) San Pedro Sula; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH); Honduras; 11101; Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas;Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas; Tuxtla Gutiérrez; Chiapas; México; Collections Associate; Field Museum of Natural History; Chicago; IL. 60605; USA
Pisces Central America new records Range expansion Poeciliidae Cichlidae

Abstract

The Motagua River Basin is a transboundary watershed shared by Guatemala and Honduras. To create a comprehensive checklist of fish species in the Honduran section of this basin, we conducted an extensive review of scientific and gray literature, followed by fieldwork to verify occurrence data. Our results show that the Honduran Motagua fish fauna comprises 52 species from 45 genera, 23 families, and 15 orders. The family Poeciliidae is the most diverse with 11 species, followed by Cichlidae with 10. We newly report 11 species for the Motagua River Basin. This study provides the most complete checklist for this basin to date, establishing a foundational reference for future biogeographic, ecological and conservation research in the region.

 

References

  1. Álvarez, F.S., González Murcia, S., McMahan, C.D. & Matamoros, W.A. (2021) Cyprinodontiform fishes of El Salvador. UNED Research Journal, 13 (1), e3303. https://doi.org/10.22458/urj.v13i1.3303
  2. Barrera R., P.C. (2006) Control de alevines de tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) (Perciforme: Cichlidae) usando guapote lagunero (Parachromis dovii) (Perciformes: Cichlidae) en los estanques de la Universidad Earth. Universidad Earth, Guácimo, 65 pp.
  3. Bussing, W.A. (1976) Geographic distribution of the San Juan ichthyofauna of Central America with remarks on its origin and ecology. In: Thorson, T. (Ed.), Investigations of the ichthyofauna of Nicaraguan lakes. University of Nebraska, Lincoln, pp. 157–175.
  4. Carr Jr., A.F. & Giovannoli, L. (1950) The fishes of the Choluteca Drainage of southern Honduras. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology University of Michigan, 523, 1–38.
  5. CEM [Centro de Estudios Marinos] (2024) Informe sobre residuos sólidos en playas y áreas marinas de Omoa y Puerto Cortés. CEM, Honduras. [unknown pagination]
  6. CESCO [Centro de Estudios y Contaminantes] (2024) Estudio de calidad del agua en comunidades del Atlántico hondureño. CESCO, Tegucigalpa. [unknown pagination]
  7. del Moral-Flores, L.F., Pintor, R., García-Mercado, E. & León, C. (2020) A new record of the exotic guapote jaguar, Parachromis managuensis (Günther, 1867) (Cichliformes, Cichlidae) in a tropical coastal lagoon of the Mexican Pacific slope. Neotropical Biology and Conservation, 15 (4), 479–485. https://doi.org/10.3897/neotropical.15.e57669
  8. Dunseth, D.R., & Bayne, D.R. (1978) Recruitment control and production of Tilapia aurea (Steindachner) with the predator, Cichlasoma managuense (Günther). Aquaculture, 14 (4), 383–390. https://doi.org/10.1016/0044-8486(78)90020-0
  9. Espinosa-Pérez, H. & Ramírez, M. (2015) Exotic and invasive fishes in Mexico. Check List, 11 (3), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.15560/11.3.1627
  10. FishNet2 (2017) Custom data export. Available from: http://www.fishnet2.net/ (accessed 1 June 2025)
  11. Fricke, R., Eschemeyer, W.N. & Vaan der Laan, R. (2022) Eschemeyer’s catalog of fishes: genera, species, and reference. California Academy of Science, San Francisco, California. Available from: http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp (accessed 2 June 2025)
  12. Froese, R. & Pauly, D. (2025) FishBase. World Wide Web Electronic publication. Available from: https://www.fishbase.se/search.php (accessed 11 June 2025)
  13. GBIF [Global Biodiversity Information Facility] (2025) Custom data export. Available from: https://doi.org/10.15468/dl.zk957k (accessed 4 June 2025)
  14. Gómez-González, A.E., Velázquez-Velázquez, E., Anzueto Calvo, M.J. & Maza-Cruz, M.F. (2015) Fishes of the Grijalva River basin of Mexico and Guatemala. Checklist, 11 (5), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.15560/11.1726
  15. Gómez-Martínez, R.F., López-Vila, J.M., Matamoros, W.A., González-Díaz, A.A. & Gómez-González, A.E. (2022) Diversity of Cichlid Fishes (Cichliformes: Cichlidae) in Chiapas, Mexico: A practical identification key with updated distribution maps. Zootaxa, 5175 (2), 231–252. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5175.2.3
  16. González-Díaz, A.A., Quiñones, R.M., Velázquez-Martínez, J. & Rodiles-Hernández, R. (2008) Fishes of La Venta River in Chiapas, México. Zootaxa, 1685 (1), 47–54. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1685.1.3
  17. Greenfield, D.W. & Thomerson, J.E. (1997) Fishes of the Continental Waters of Belize. University of Florida Press, Gainesville, Florida, 311 pp.
  18. Harrison, E., Lorenz, J.J. & Trexler, J.C. (2013) Per capita effects of non-native Mayan cichlids (Cichlasoma urophthalmus; Günther) on native fish in the estuarine southern Everglades. Copeia, 2013 (1), 80–96. https://doi.org/10.1643/ce-11-182
  19. IUCN (2025) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-2. Available from: https://www.iucnredlist.orgk (accessed 21 October 2025)
  20. Kihn-Pineda, P.H., Cano, E.B. & Morales, A. (2006) Peces de las aguas interiores de guatemala. In: Cano, E.B. (Ed.), Biodiversidad de Guatemala. Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala, pp. 457–485.
  21. Lyons, T.J. & Matamoros, W.A. (2020) Tlaloc portillorum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T125347429A164692340
  22. Martin, M. (1972) A Biogeographic Analysis of the Freshwater Fishes of Honduras. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 598 pp.
  23. Martínez-Lendech, N., Martínez-Falcón, A.P., Schmitter-Soto, J.J., Mejía-Mojica, H., Sorani-Dalbón, V., Cruz-Ruíz, G.I. & Mercado-Silva, N. (2020) Ichthyological Differentiation and Homogenization in the Pánuco Basin, Mexico. Diversity, 12 (187), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/d12050187
  24. Matamoros, W.A., Chin, K.D. & Sharfstein, B. (2005) First report of the Mayan cichlid, Cichlasoma urophthalmus (Günther 1862) collected in the southern littoral zone of Lake Okeechobee, Florida. Gulf and Caribbean Research, 17 (1), 113–115. https://doi.org/10.18785/gcr.1701.10
  25. Matamoros, W.A., Kreiser, B.R. & Schaefer, J.F. (2012) A delineation of Nuclear Middle America biogeographical provinces based on river basin faunistic similarities. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 22 (1), 351–365. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-011-9232-8
  26. Matamoros, W.A., McMahan, C.D., Chakrabarty, P., Albert, J.S. & Schaefer, J.F. (2015) Derivation of the freshwater fish fauna of Central America revisited: Myers’s hypothesis in the twenty-first century. Cladistics, 31 (2), 177–188. https://doi.org/10.1111/cla.12081
  27. Matamoros, W.A., Schaefer, J.F. & Kreiser, B.R. (2009) Annotated checklist of the freshwater fishes of continental and insular Honduras. Zootaxa, 2307 (1), 1–38. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2307.1.1
  28. McMahan, C.D., Matamoros, W.A., Álvarez, F.S., Yamileth Henríquez, W., Michelle Recinos, H., Chakrabarty, P., Barraza, J.E. & Herrera, N. (2013) Checklist of the inland fishes of El Salvador. Zootaxa, 3608 (6), 440–456. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3608.6.2
  29. Miller, R.R. (1966) Geographical distribution of Central American freshwater fishes. Copeia, 1966 (4), 773–802. https://doi.org/10.2307/1441406
  30. Miller, R.R., Minckley, W.L. & Norris, S.M. (2005) Freshwater fishes of Mexico. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, 652 pp.
  31. Morgenstern, R. (2018) Fishes collected by Emanuel Ritter von Friedrichsthal in Central America between 1838 – 1841. Vertebrate Zoology, 6 (3), 253–267. https://doi.org/10.3897/vz.68.e31614
  32. Olden, J.D. & Poff, N.L. (2003) Toward a mechanistic understanding and prediction of biotic homogenization. The American Naturalist, 162 (4), 442–460. https://doi.org/10.1086/378212
  33. Rahel, F.J. (2000) Homogenization of Fish Faunas Across the United States. Science, 288, 854–856. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.288.5467.854
  34. Rico, C.N., Hoagstrom, C.W., Elías, D.J., McMahan, C.D. & Matamoros, W.A. (2022) Biotic regionalization of freshwater fishes in Northern Middle America highlights high beta diversity created by prominent biogeographic barriers. Frontiers of Biogeography, 14 (4), e58095. https://doi.org/10.21425/F5FBG58095
  35. SERNA [Secretaría de Recursos Naturales y Ambiente] (2025) Plan de Acción Estratégico Nacional (PAEN) de la Cuenca del Río Motagua, Honduras. SERNA, Tegucigalpa, 156 pp.
  36. Soria-Barreto, M., González-Díaz, A.A., Castillo-Domínguez, A., Álvarez-Pliego, N. & Rodiles-Hernández, R. (2018) Diversity of fish fauna in the Usumacinta Basin, Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad, 89, 100–117. https://doi.org/10.22201/ib.20078706e.2018.4.2462
  37. Triminio, S. & Meyer, D.E. (2010) Markets for Honduran tilapia. World Aquaculture, 41 (2), 39–40. [https://www.was.org/Magazine/2010/02/]
  38. Valverde-Moya, J. (2025) Use of the wolf cichlid Parachromis dovii (Günther 1869) as biocontrol of the overpopulation of blue tilapia Oreochromis aureus (Steindachner 1864) and its economic impact. AquaTechnica, 7 (1), 39–51. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14742354

How to Cite

Lardizabal, C.C., Martinez, D.E., Engman, A.C., Bajo-Walker, A., Sarmiento-Marina, Y., Hernández-Ávila, S.G. & Matamoros, W.A. (2025) A checklist of the fishes of the Motagua River drainage of western Honduras. Zootaxa, 5725 (4), 496–510. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5725.4.3