A expressão do comportamento agonístico em Ituglanis ramiroi Bichuette & Trajano 2004 (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) e sua aplicação para conservação

Abstract

Ituglanis ramiroi lives in a special habitat in São Bernardo Cave, mostly upper aquifers fed by infiltration water in the rock. The species was previously studied in relation to reaction to the light; to the spontaneous behavior; to the feeding behavior; and to the locomotor rhythmicity, with evidences of specializations in these behaviors. In the present work, we present the description of agonistic be- havior in this species. We verified that the agonistic component was weakly expressed in the tested individuals and could represent a character regression, therefor, a specialization. Specialized behavior in troglobitic species suggests unique evolutionary histories, and must be considered for conservation purpose.