A new, narrowly distributed, and critically endangered species of Characidium (Characiformes: Crenuchidae) from the Distrito Federal, Central Brazil

Mauro César Lambert de Brito Ribeiro,Marcelo Roberto Souto de Melo,Flávio César Thadeo de Lima

doi:10.1590/1982-0224-2020-0061

Abstract

ABSTRACT A new species of Characidium is described from the Cerrado biome, in Brasília, Distrito Federal, Central Brazil. The new species can be readily diagnosed by the presence of two or three longitudinal rows of dots along the body sides, absence of bars, by the short pectoral fin, which does not reach the vertical through the dorsal fin origin. Additional useful diagnostic characters are the scaled isthmus, absence of the adipose fin, and the terminal mouth. The new species is only known from the córrego Taquara and its tributaries, a tributary of ribeirão do Gama, upstream from lago Paranoá, in the upper rio Paraná basin. In accordance to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, the new species is categorized as Critically Endangered.

Highlights

Characidium Reinhardt, 1867 is a genus of Neotropical fishes currently including 79 valid species, distributed between Panamá and northern Argentina (Agudelo-Zamora et al, 2020a,b; Flausino Junior et al, 2020; Fricke et al, 2020; Zanata et al, 2020a; Zanata, Ohara, 2020; Teixeira, Melo, 2021)
A new Characidium species is described from Brasília, Distrito Federal, based on specimens collected in the córrego Taquara and its tributaries, in the headwaters of the ribeirão do Gama, upstream from the lago Paranoá, rio São Bartolomeu drainage, in the upper rio Paraná basin
Characidium onca is only known from córrego Taquara and its tributaries, itself being a tributary of the ribeirão do Gama which nowadays drains into the lago Paranoá, a tributary of the right margin of the rio São Bartolomeu, tributary of the left margin of rio the Corumbá, rio Paranaíba drainage, in the upper rio Paraná basin, Distrito Federal, Brazil (Fig. 6)

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Characidium Reinhardt, 1867 is a genus of Neotropical fishes currently including 79 valid species, distributed between Panamá and northern Argentina (Agudelo-Zamora et al, 2020a,b; Flausino Junior et al, 2020; Fricke et al, 2020; Zanata et al, 2020a; Zanata, Ohara, 2020; Teixeira, Melo, 2021). In the past 20 years, the taxonomic knowledge regarding the diversity of Characidium in the Brazilian Cerrado has received increased attention, resulting in descriptions of eight species: C. barbosai Flausino Junior, Lima, Machado & Melo, 2020, endemic to the tributaries of the upper rio Guaporé, Serra da Borda; C. cacah Zanata, Ribeiro, Araújo-Porto, Pessali & Oliveira-Silva, 2020, from the rio das Velhas, rio São Francisco basin; C. mirim Netto-Ferreira, Birindelli & Buckup, 2013, endemic to tributaries of the upper rio das Mortes, rio Tocantins basin, Chapada dos Guimarães; C. nupelia da Graça, Pavanelli & Buckup, 2008, from the rio Cuiabá upstream from the Pantanal Matogrossense, rio Paraguay basin; C. satoi Melo & Oyakawa, 2015, from rio Curral das Éguas, rio São Francisco basin; C. stigmosum Melo & Buckup, 2002, from rio Paranã, rio Tocantins basin Chapada dos Veadeiros; C. xanthopterum Silveira, Langeani, da Graça, Pavanelli & Buckup, 2008, widespread in the upper rio Paraná and upper rio Tocantins basins; and C. xavante da Graça, Pavanelli & Buckup, 2008, from rio Culuene, upper rio Xingu, Amazon basin (Melo, Buckup, 2002; Da Graça et al, 2008; Netto-Ferreira et al, 2013; Melo, Oyakawa, 2015; Mendonça, Netto-Ferreira, 2015; Flausino Junior et al, 2020; Zanata et al, 2020b). The conservation status of the species is discussed

MATERIAL AND METHODS

RESULTS

DISCUSSION