A new armored catfish species of the genus Hypostomus Lacépède, 1803 (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the upper rio Xingu basin, Brazil

Cláudio H. Zawadzki,José L. O. Birindelli,Flávio C. T. Lima

doi:10.1590/s1679-62252012000200003

Cláudio H. Zawadzki, José L. O. Birindelli + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/s1679-62252012000200003

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Abstract

A new armored catfish species of the genus Hypostomus is described from the upper rio Xingu basin, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. The new species is diagnosed from congeners by having high number of teeth (58 to 101, mean 77 on premaxilla, and 58 to 105, mean 80 on dentary), dark spots over body and fins, and abdomen mostly naked. The new species is known from the rapids of the rio Culuene, where it is sympatric with Hypostomus faveolus.

Highlights

Hypostomus Lacépède, 1803 is the largest loricariid genus with 126 valid species (Weber, 2003; Hollanda Carvalho et al, 2010; Zawadzki et al, 2010)
Species of the genus Hypostomus occur in a wide range of habitats, from lowland lakes to fast running mountain streams (Burgess, 1989), and exhibit reproductive strategies as being egg guarders in which the male cares for eggs and larvae within some kind of cavity or nest (Suzuki et al, 2000)
Standard length (SL) is expressed in millimeters and all other measurements are expressed as percents of standard length or head length (HL)

Summary

Introduction

Hypostomus Lacépède, 1803 is the largest loricariid genus with 126 valid species (Weber, 2003; Hollanda Carvalho et al, 2010; Zawadzki et al, 2010). Hypostomus species are morphologically very conservative, and the relatively few diagnostic characters in external morphology and coloration within the genus usually vary intra- in many species (Oyakawa et al, 2005; Zawadzki et al, 2008). This limited morphological variation and the high species richness represent a challenge to efforts aiming to clarify species boundaries among the species. Zawadzki et al (2008) described Hypostomus faveolus from the upper stretches of the rio Xingu and rio Tocantins basins. With Hypostomus faveolus at the rio Culuene in the upper rio Xingu basin, a second, undescribed Hypostomus species occurs which, unlike H. faveolus, is restricted to fastflowing, rocky river stretches. The aim of the present contribution is to describe that species

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