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New genetic data extend the range of river dolphins Inia in the Amazon Delta

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Abstract

Geographic distribution is basic information on the biology for any species. However, the precise data on spatial limits of species are unavailable for most taxa, but knowledge of such data is essential for their conservation and monitoring. We report the northernmost records of Inia araguaiaensis, a newly described river dolphin that occurs in the Araguaia and Tocantins Rivers, in central-eastern Brazil. Three stranded specimens were collected in Marajó Bay area and were identified as I. araguaiaensis based on mitochondrial DNA analysis. We assume that these records represent not only a range expansion of nearly 500 km north from the previous known limit of I. araguaiaensis, but also a potential evidence on species-level responses to changes in habitat, as a result of adaptability to variable environmental conditions. These new records based on stranded animals reveal the importance of sampling effort in remote areas, such as coastal waters of the Amazon estuary ecosystem, and help to establish the actual distribution limits of this aquatic mammal for conservation purposes.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by VALE/FAPESP/FAPESPA/FAPEMIG grants no. 038/2011 and Petrobras (Projeto Bicho D’água: Conservação Socioambiental). A.F.C. thanks the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—CAPES for the PhD grant, and REL thanks the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico-CNPq for the grant no. 313356/2015-7. LRO thanks the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico—CNPq for the productivity grants no. 303813/2011-3 and 308650/2014-0. The authors are indebted to MSc. Fernando Lopes, who kindly prepared the maps for the paper. The authors deeply appreciate the numerous critical reviews of Dr. Robert Brownell Jr. regarding the quality of this manuscript. Finally, the authors thank the two anonymous referees for their contributions that helped to improve the final version of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz, Pavilhão Mourisco-sala 122. Av. Brasil, 4.365 Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040-900, Brazil

    Salvatore Siciliano

  2. Instituto Megafauna Marinha, Cabo Frio, Brazil

    Salvatore Siciliano

  3. Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Coordenação de Zoologia, Setor de Mastozoologia, Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Aquáticos da Amazônia (GEMAM) and Programa de Capacitação Institucional, Av. Perimetral, 1901, Terra Firme, Belém, PA, 66077-530, Brazil

    Salvatore Siciliano, Renata Emin-Lima & Alexandra F. Costa

  4. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Av. Unisinos, 950, São Leopoldo, RS, 93022-000, Brazil

    Victor Hugo Valiati, Jessica Sartor & Tenille Dorneles

  5. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia Aquática e Pesca, Universidade Federal do Pará-UFPA, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Cidade Universitária José da Silveira Netto, Av. Augusto Corrêa n 1, Guamá, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil

    Alexandra F. Costa & José de Sousa e Silva Júnior

  6. Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Av. Unisinos 950, bloco E04, sala E04229, São Leopoldo, RS, 93022-000, Brazil

    Jessica Sartor, Tenille Dorneles & Larissa Rosa de Oliveira

  7. Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Aquáticos do Rio Grande do Sul (GEMARS), Rua Machado de Assis, 1456, Osório, RS, 95520-000, Brazil

    Larissa Rosa de Oliveira

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  1. Salvatore Siciliano
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  2. Victor Hugo Valiati
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  3. Renata Emin-Lima
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  4. Alexandra F. Costa
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  7. José de Sousa e Silva Júnior
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  8. Larissa Rosa de Oliveira
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Correspondence to Salvatore Siciliano.

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Siciliano, S., Valiati, V.H., Emin-Lima, R. et al. New genetic data extend the range of river dolphins Inia in the Amazon Delta. Hydrobiologia 777, 255–269 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2794-7

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