**5. Discussion**

The aquatic biological resources in Guatemala are best represented with freshwater decapods species, but the economical values of these resources are lower in comparison with freshwater fishes and only few species have an important acceptance in their consumption of local population. The species of *Macrobrachium* that are the largest freshwater decapod have a big distribution on the three basins because the majority of sampling sites in this study were recorded (**Table 1**).

**Site** **Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico Slope**

Escobas Cerro San Gil

El Boqueron

Río Zarco Puente Pedernales

Puente la Máquina

Sumache Puente Manaco

Balneario caliente

Afluente remanso

Aldea Manantiales, Esmeralda del

Paraiso

Rio Zarquito

Rio Chapin Río Balandra Puente Prieto

El lago Arroyo colorado

Río Bouro Río Branche

La Palmera

El Estor El Estor El Estor El Estor El Estor El Estor Sumache Agua caliente

Río Oscuro Chapin abajo Quinel/Estor Sa Rosita/El Estor

El Estor El Bongo/El Estor

El Bongo/el Estor

Esmeralda Esmeralda

Izabal Livingston Livignston

−89.0103056

15.6942500 29

*Procambarus sp.*

High >200

175

−89.0110278

15.6929722 17

−89.1861667

15.6092222 159

Izabal

−89.1920833

15.6183333 212

*Procambarus sp.*

*Procambarus sp.*

*Palaemon pandaliformis*

High

Izabal Izabal

−89.3294722

15.5239722 12

−89.2623889

15.5692222 13

*Pseudothelhusidae*

*Palemonetes octaviae*

High >200

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.73638

Medium >50

Medium >50

Low <50

Izabal Izabal Izabal

−89.2481944

15.4031111 14

−89.2665278

15.3924444 9

−89.3595278

15.3377222 5

*Palaemon pandaliformis*

High >200

Freshwater Crustaceans Decadpos: An Important Resource of Guatemala

Izabal Izabal Izabal Izabal Izabal Izabal Izabal Izabal

−89.2206111

15.5833056 55

−89.1074444

15.6054444 65

*Procambarus sp.*

High >100

−89.2085556

15.5908611 35

−89.1230278

15.5952778 16

−89.0941667

15.6056389 19

−89.0753333

15.6157222 26

−89.0426944

15.6364722 9

−89.2951111

15.5571944 20

El Estor

Izabal

−89.2844722

15.5660278 9

Las Escobas

Puerto

−88.6456667

15.6851667 116

*Macrobrachium cemai*

High >200

Medium >50

Low >10 org

Low >10

Low >10

*Potimrim sp.*

*Raddus sp*

*Trichodactylidae*

*Pseudothelphusidae*

*Macrobrachium sp.*

High >200

Barrios

**Locality**

**Department**

**GPS X**

**GPS Y**

**Altitude Taxa**

**Population richenss**


**5. Discussion**

*Macrobrachium rosenbergii*.

174 Biological Resources of Water

The aquatic biological resources in Guatemala are best represented with freshwater decapods species, but the economical values of these resources are lower in comparison with freshwater fishes and only few species have an important acceptance in their consumption of local population. The species of *Macrobrachium* that are the largest freshwater decapod have a big distribution on the three basins because the majority of sampling sites in this study were recorded (**Table 1**).

**Figure 3.** Freshwater decapods species in Guatemala. (A) *Macrobrachium carcinus*; (B) *Macrobrachium acanthurus*; (C) *Macrobrachium cemai*; (D) *Potimirim glabra*; (E) *Procambarus* spp.; (F) *Trichodactylidae*; (G) *Pseudothelphusidae*; (H)


**Site** La verde

Málaga Otacingo

Brito El Paraíso

Las Lisas

Iztapa La Avellana **Peten Zone**

La campana

Trinitaria Tres Rios Las Pozas

Flores Melchor de Mencos

Salpet Poptun Chabilchoch San Antonio Las Cuevas

La Campana

**Table 1.**

Relation of sites explored, GPS, species, and population richness data.

La campana

Trinitaria Tres Rios Las Pozas

Flores Melchor de Mencos

Salpet Poptun Chabilchoch San Antonio Las Cuevas

La Campana

Peten Peten

−91.07391

15.564503

244

*Procambarus sp.*

High >100

177

−90.061916

15.52079

244

*Macrobrachium sp.*

Medium >50

Peten Peten Peten Peten

−89.56472

15.45272

190

−89.293103

16.17421

420

*Procambarus sp.*

High >100

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.73638

−89.16325

16.55458

146

−89.09262

17.012404

106

*Macrobrachium sp.*

Medium >50

Freshwater Crustaceans Decadpos: An Important Resource of Guatemala

Peten Peten Peten Peten Peten

−89.50106

16.55238

131

*Macobrachium sp.*

Medium >50

−90.09585

16.20044

168

*Pseudothephusidae*

Low >10

−90.26084

16.00559

138

−90.47287

15.56126

168

*Macrobrachium sp.*

Medium>50

−91.07213

15.56554

231

Monterrico

Santa Rosa

−90.28119

13.54231

6

**Locality** Champerico

Málaga Otacingo

Brito Santa Rosa

Las Lisas

Iztapa

**Department**

Rethauleu

Escuintla Escuintla Escuintla Santa Rosa Santa Rosa

Escuintla

−90.42251

13.55576

7

*Macrobrachium tenellum*

High >200

Medum >50

*Macrobrachium* 

*americanum*

−90.15489

13.48516

6

*Macrobrachium tenellum*

High >200

−90.12144

13.485168 5

*Macrobrachium tenellum*

High >200

−90.40555

14.08333

44

−90.53562

13.59368

24

*Macrobrachium digueti*

Low >10

−91.0416.5

14.01048

19

−91.5408

14.195107 13

*Macrobrachium tenellum*

High >200

**GPS X**

**GPS Y**

**Altitude Taxa**

**Population richenss**


**Site** Cenote de Sarstum

Siete Altares Cueva del tigre

Las Conchas

Río Lachua Puente la machaca

Arroyo El Caoba

Arroyo las ranas

Hunal-Ye Semuc- Champey

Cueva las Marias

Las Mesas **Pacific Slope**

Las Pozas Manchon Guamuchal

Manchon Guamuchal

Rethauleu

−92.05112

14.27499

17

*Macrobrachium occidentale*

Medium >50

Buena Vista

Santa Rosa

−90.16264"

13.52519

14

*Macrobrachium* 

Medium >50

*americanum*

Larkin Semuc-Champey

Rio Hondo Zacapa

Alta Verapaz

−89.9555556 −89.5932000

15.0545000

15.5875000 357

Alta Verapaz

−89.9595833

15.5336667 353

Barra Lampara

Chasac Santa Lucia, Reserva

Lachua

Santa Lucia, Reserva

Alta Verapaz

−90.6750833

15.9486389 195

Lachua

Santa Lucia, Reserva

Alta Verapaz

−90.6758333

15.9406944 175

*Macrobrachium sp.*

Low <20

Lachua

Santa Lucia, Reserva

Alta Verapaz

−90.6761944

15.9376389 180

*Procambarus sp.*

High >100

Lachua

Chisec

Coban

−90.3143333

15.6699722 403

*Macrobrachium sp.*

High>200

Medium>30

*Pseudothelphusidae*

*Macrobrachium sp.*

*Macrobrachium sp.*

*Macrobrachium* 

Low <10

*heterochirus*

Medium>50

High >200

Livingston Alta Verapaz Alta Verapaz

−90.6639722

15.9245833 171

−89.4616944

15.8533056 144

−88.8125278

15.7747500 74

**Locality** Sarstum Livingston

**Department**

Livingston Livingston

−89.7918889

15.8542778 83

*Macrobrachium* 

Low <10

176 Biological Resources of Water

Medium >50

Medium >50

High >200

*heterochirus*

*Macrobrachium carcinus*

*Macrobrachium ofersii*

*Potimirim sp.*

*Pseudothephusidae*

*Macrobrachium sp.*

*Pseudothelphusidae*

High>100

High <100

Low <10

−89.9428056

15.8822500 15

**GPS X**

**GPS Y**

**Altitude Taxa**

**Population richenss**

**Table 1.** Relation of sites explored, GPS, species, and population richness data. But only two or three species are possibly found in the market in different places around the country. In the Pacific slope, the acceptance of these resources are major, but it is due to the cultural aspects on the indigenous people. In the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea slopes, the Qek' chi people use these resources for self-consumption and only in the local markets, sometimes by seasons, this aquatic resource is possibly found. Also, there are another species smaller or with less economical value as crayfishes and freshwater prawns, that in general the people that fishing their animals are children as part of their contribution to food in the family. These problems on the acceptance and sale of resource is only in some areas because for special species (largest), the over exploitation of *Macrobrachium carcinus* in the recent years has produced an important decrease in the fishery on this species as was reported in another countries [11].

**References**

2014. 70 pp

1999. 90 pp

para el Desarrollo; 2016. 28 pp

Occasional Papers; 1952. 396 pp

Journal Aquatic Resources. 2013;**41**(4):651-675

Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala; 2005. 46 pp

del Valle de Guatemala. 2012;**24**:35-50

[1] Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CONAP). Listado de Especies de Fauna Silvestre Amenazadas de Extinción (Lista Roja de Fauna), Resolución No. ALC/032-99 del CONAP, 17 de noviembre de 1999 y enmiendas del 26 de enero de 2000. Guatemala:

Freshwater Crustaceans Decadpos: An Important Resource of Guatemala

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.73638

179

[2] Tejeda JC. Crustáceos decápodos de los ríos Siete Altares, Livingston y Las Escobas, Cerro San Gil, Puerto Barrios, Izabal [Tesis de Licenciatura]. Problema Especial II, Centro de Estudios del Mar y Acuicultura, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala;

[3] PNUD. Informe sobre el desarrollo humano 2016. Programa de las Naciones Unidas

[4] Dix M, Dix M, Orozco M, Cabrera D, Bocel E, Toledo A, Symonds E. El Lago Atitlán, Guatemala: su estado ecológico octubre 2009-deciembre 2011. Revista de la Universidade

[5] Díaz F. Producción larval de camarón de río nativa, Macrobrachium americanum en laboratorio. Informe Técnico. Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala; 2001. 80 pp

[6] Wehrtmann I, Magalhaes C, Orozco M. Freshwater crabs in lake Atitlan, Guatemala: Not

[7] Holthuis LB. A General Revision of the Palaemonidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Natantia) of the Americas. II. The Subfamily Paleemoninae. Allan Hancock Foundation Publisher

[8] Cabrera M. Primer informe de la evaluación de la situación ambiental del Río Polochic,

[9] Barrientos C. Caracterización de la ictiofauna con importancia alimenticia de los ríos San Pedro y Sacluc, en el área de influencia de la estación biológica "Las Guacamayas" [Tesis de Licenciatura]. Departamento de Peten, Guatemala, Escuela de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala;

[10] MAGA (Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación, GT). Manual para la caracterización y diagnóstico de cuencas hidrográficas. Guatemala; 2000. 80 pp

[11] García-Guerrero MU, Becerril-Morales F, Vega-Villasante F, Espinosa-Chaurand LD. Los langostinos del género macrobrachium con importancia económica y pesquera en América Latina: Conocimiento actual, rol ecológico y conservación. Latin American

[12] Velásquez J. Estudio de las etapas larvales, determinación de concentraciones de salinidad y alimento para la reproducción artificial de larvas de camarón de agua dulce *Macrobrachium carcinus* en Ixcan [Tesis de Licenciatura]. Quiche: Facultad de Agronomía,

a single-species fishery. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 2014;**34**(1):123-125

Lago de Izabal y Río Dulce. Guatemala: CONAP/AMASURLI; 2002

Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas; 2000

Therefore, less important problem is the increase in the pollution on rivers due the chemical products used in the sugar and palm farmers and their respective industries reported not only in Guatemala because it is a normal practice in Central America and Mexico.

In general, the commercial species have migrating behaviors, the constructions of dams, and the water use to agricultural activities also decreased the native populations producing that exotic species occupied the niches empty [12].

However, just now Guatemala has an important opportunity to make plans to development according the basin and their resources. To protect those species over exploited and increase their potential of those species that only are using by indigenous people could be establish farmers because there are the technologies to producing by tons, and could be one mechanism to conserve the biological diversity and have management plans on aquatic biological resources.
