Premium
Redescription of Hysteronotus megalostomus (Characiformes: Characidae: Stevardiinae), a poorly known characid from tributaries of the Rio São Fancisco, Brazil with comments on the conservation of the species
Author(s) -
Menezes N. A.,
Weitzman S. H.,
Teixeira T. F.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/jfb.13000
Subject(s) - characiformes , characidae , type locality , biology , tributary , conservation status , zoology , ecology , population , fish <actinopterygii> , fishery , taxonomy (biology) , geography , habitat , demography , cartography , sociology
Originally described from the upper Rio das Velhas, a tributary of the Rio São Francisco, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, Hysteronotus megalostomus was recently collected in many tributaries of the Rio São Francisco north of the type locality. The specimens of the population samples collected outside the type locality share the morphological features present in the type material except for the presence of an adipose fin found only in two specimens within the more recently collected material. Presence or absence of the adipose fin has been extensively used by fish taxonomists to characterize different species and even genera, but in H. megalostomus the character is not consistent, indicating its use alone is not diagnostic. The species is redescribed and its phylogenetic relationships and conservation status are briefly discussed.