SOME ASPECTS ABOUT THE INTRODUCTION OF SPECIES, AND STATE OF KNOWLEDGE ON THE NON-NATIVE FISH IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CALDAS, COLOMBIA

摘要

The introduction of fish species has been considered as one of the most difficult issues of biodiversity conservation since the degradation of natural ecosystems which has been occurring all around the world has caused that non- native species establish themselves and easily become invaders. Objective: Because of the importance of introducing fish species and their role in native species, a bibliographic review was carried out in which the reader gets introduced to the concept of introduction of species, some aspects of introduction of non- native fish species, describing the current knowledge about the introduced species of fish in Colombia, and finally, the present state of the knowledge of introduced species in the fluvial ecosystems of the department of Caldas is determined. Methodology: A summary of information based on articles, books and technical reports dealing with the introduction of fish in the department of Caldas was carried out. Results: Eighteen species were registered as introduced in natural water as invaders and 72 were registered as introduced in artificial water tanks (aquariums and ponds). From the total of non- native species, 33 belong to the Perciformes order, 12 to Cypriniformes order, 8 species to Characiformes order and 8 species to Cyprinodontiformes order. The families with the greatest number of non-native species are: Cichlidae (24 species), Cyprinidae (12 species) and Poeciliidae (8 species). Conclusions: the permanence of these species in the department of Caldas can trigger effects in the fluvial ecosystems, reason why it is necessary to apply preventive regulations in order to carry out introduction of species in this region.