Eight sites were surveyed in the Ribeirão Grande system (22º47'08"S, 45º28'17"W) from July 2001 to April 2002. Fishes were sampled four times each site, during the winter (July 2001), spring (October 2001), summer (February 2002) and autumn (April 2002). Conductivity, pH, water temperature and dissolved oxygen were measured for each site, and elevations in meters were taken by a GPS receiver. The spatial dimension was the main source of variability in the fish distribution in the Ribeirão Grande system. A total of 37 species were caught and the ten most abundant species correspond almost 90% of the total catch. Pareiorhina rudolphi was caught principally in the slope; Characidium lauroi, Trichomycterus itatiayae, Neoplecostomus microps, Astyanax scabripinnis, Taunayia bifasciata and Harttia carvalhoi were caught in the piedmont; Characidium alipioi, Imparfinis minutus and Loricariichthys sp. were caught in the plain of the valley. The sampling stations P6 and P7, located in the transition between tributaries and main channel, were considered an ecotone, where the species diversity was higher.
Fish; distribution; streams; diversity; Serra da Mantiqueira
