Species of the Doumea chappuisi Complex (Siluriformes, Amphiliidae) with the Descriptions of New Species from the Upper Sanaga River and Nyong River Basins

Abstract

Abstract The Doumea chappuisi complex within the catfish family Amphiliidae is diagnosed on the form of the dorsolateral and ventrolateral processes of the vertebrae along the posterior portion of the body. Three species are recognized in the complex: Doumea chappuisi of the West African coastal river basins in Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cote d'Ivoire, and Liberia; D. reidi, new species, described herein from a portion of the upper Sanaga River in Nigeria; and D. stilicauda, new species, described herein from the Nyong River basin in Cameroon. Members of the complex are distinguished from each other on the basis of the overall body form, the caudal-peduncle length, the predorsal length, the head length, the degree of development of the pelvic fin in larger specimens, the anterior extent of the exposed vertebral processes along the ventral surface of the body, and details of the pigmentation pattern of the unbranched rays of the pectoral and pelvic fins.