Reserva Ecológica Baía Bonita-Aquário Natural - karst river system

The ’Aquário Natural’ is a karst river system, fed by underground springs, with the water emerging among the forests of the Bodoquena Plateau, in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Due to the transparency of the water near the springs (as it has not yet been clouded by sediments and organic material from the forest) there is lush growth of aquatic plants, principally Echinodorus macrophyllum, Chara sp., Helianthum bolivianum and Myriophyllum aquaticum. Commonly seen fish species include Brycon hilarii, Salminus brasiliensis, Leporinus friderici, Hyphessobrycon eques, Characidium aff. ’zebra’, Jupiaba acanthogaster, Prochilodus linneatus, Moenkhausia bonita, Bryconops melanurus, Crenicichla lepidota, Cichlasoma dimerus, Steindachneria brevipinna and Phenacogaster tegatus.