. Ecuador : Cabeceras Cofanes-Chingual. Natural history; Biodiversity; Wildlife conservation. which three were new registries for the hydrographic zone of the Colombian Amazon (Ortega-Lara 2005). A lack of information marks Ecuador's case as well; some inventories have been made in the Andean-Amazonian piedmont of the Pastaza River basin (Willink et al. 2005; Anderson et al., unpublished data), yet a portion of the information remains unpublished. The principal goal of this study was to document the ichthyofauna present in the Cofanes-Chingual- Aguarico basin in order to determine its ecologic
. Ecuador : Cabeceras Cofanes-Chingual. Natural history; Biodiversity; Wildlife conservation. which three were new registries for the hydrographic zone of the Colombian Amazon (Ortega-Lara 2005). A lack of information marks Ecuador's case as well; some inventories have been made in the Andean-Amazonian piedmont of the Pastaza River basin (Willink et al. 2005; Anderson et al., unpublished data), yet a portion of the information remains unpublished. The principal goal of this study was to document the ichthyofauna present in the Cofanes-Chingual- Aguarico basin in order to determine its ecological value and identify conservation opportunities. We present the results of our fish inventory conducted during 22-29 October 2008, the first study of the ichthyofauna of the Cofanes-Chingual-Aguarico basin. We also offer comparisons to previous studies in nearby basins of the Amazonian piedmont of Colombia. METHODS Sample sites We sampled 18 collection stations located in three areas within the Cofanes-Chingual-Aguarico basin (Rio Verde, Alto La Bonita, and Bajo La Bonita) (Fig. 19). These were located between 500 and 2,600 m in altitude in a heterogeneous landscape characterized by complex topography and geomorphology (Appendix 1). To ensure that our collections best represented the entire Cofanes- Chingual basin, especially rivers at lower altitudes with more fish, we included sampling sites within Bajo La Bonita, an area east and south of the three primary camps of the rapid inventory and not sampled by the other members of the biological team. Collecting stations at the Rio Verde and Alto La Bonita sites were located in rivers within forested areas. In contrast, collection stations at the Bajo La Bonita site were in rivers and streams that drain a mosaic landscape of forest, agricultural lands, and communities. (Stations 017 and 018 were outside of the proposed municipal reserve.) As such. Bajo La Bonita stations were subject to more anthropogenic influence than the other
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