A new species of Leporinus Agassiz, 1829 from the upper Rio Paraná basin (Characiformes, Anostomidae) with redescription of L. elongatus Valenciennes, 1850 and L. obtusidens (Valenciennes, 1837)

Heraldo A Britski,Julio Cesar Garavello,José Luís O Birindelli

doi:10.1590/s0031-10492012021700001

Abstract

Leporinus obtusidens Valenciennes, 1837 and L. elongatus Valenciennes, 1850 are redescribed based on the type specimens, including those of their junior synonyms, and recently collected specimens. Leporinus obtusidens is considered to be widespread, occuring in the river drainages of La Plata, São Francisco, and Parnaíba. Leporinus aguapeiensis Campos, 1945, described from the upper Rio Paraná, and L. silvestrii Boulenger, 1902, described from the Rio Paraguay, are considered junior synonyms of L. obtusidens. Leporinus elongatus is endemic to the Rio Jequitinhonha and Rio Pardo, two eastern Brazilian river basins, and the locality cited for the lectotype, Rio São Fransico, likely to be erroneous. Leporinus crassilabris Borodin, 1929, and L. crassilabris breviceps Borodin, 1929, both described from the Rio Jequitinhonha, are considered junior synynoms of L. elongatus. A new species of Leporinus, endemic to the upper Rio Paraná, very similar and sometimes mistaken with L. obtusidens, is formally described. In addition, comments on Leporinus pachyurus Valenciennes, 1850 and on L. bimaculatus Castelnau, 1855 are provided, and a lectotype for L. bimaculatus is selected.

Highlights

The South American characiform genus Leporinus includes approximately 80 valid species (Garavello & Britski, 2003; Birindelli & Britski, 2009; Sidlauskas et al, 2011; Feitosa et al, 2011), but a large number of species remain to be described (Birindelli & Britski, 2009; Feitosa et al, 2011)
We studied species related to Leporinus obtusidens, such as L. silvestrii Boulenger, 1902, described from the upper Rio Paraguay basin, and L. aguapeiensis Campos, 1945, decribed from the upper Rio Paraná basin
The names Leporinus obtusidens and L. elongatus designate large-sized species commonly found in fish collections and extensively cited in biological studies

Summary

Introduction

The South American characiform genus Leporinus includes approximately 80 valid species (Garavello & Britski, 2003; Birindelli & Britski, 2009; Sidlauskas et al, 2011; Feitosa et al, 2011), but a large number of species remain to be described (Birindelli & Britski, 2009; Feitosa et al, 2011). The most complex of these problems are related to two species described by Valenciennes in the nineteenth century: Leporinus obtusidens and L. elongatus. Valenciennes (in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1850) described Leporinus elongatus on the basis of two specimens (syntypes): one collected by Auguste de Saint Hilaire in the Rio São Francisco (MNHN 8624), and another collected by Alcides d’Orbigny in the Río de La Plata, Buenos Aires (MNHN 9800). Valenciennes presented a more detailed description of Leporinus obtusidens based on the holotype (MNHN 1693) and two other specimens: one collected by Saint-Hilaire in the Rio São Francisco (MNHN 8622), and another in the Amazon (reported as MNHN uncatalogued)

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