Creagrutus melasma

It is native to South America, occurring in the Orinoco River basin as well as in the Tuy and Neverí rivers of the Caribbean Sea versant in Venezuela.^[3] The Orinoco is one of the continent's largest river systems, draining vast areas of Venezuela and serving as a major center of Neotropical freshwater biodiversity. Its basin encompasses a mosaic of habitats ranging from floodplain forests and savannas to blackwater tributaries, supporting high levels of endemism.^{[citation needed]} The Tuy and Neverí rivers, smaller coastal drainages flowing into the Caribbean, provide distinct ecological settings shaped by seasonal rainfall and montane influences.^{[citation needed]} Together, these systems highlight the species’ adaptability across diverse hydrological environments, linking the immense Orinoco basin with the more localized Caribbean versant rivers. This distribution underscores the ecological breadth of Venezuela's freshwater networks and their importance as reservoirs of biodiversity.^{[citation needed]}