A New Species of the Genus Leporinus Spix from the Rio Meta, Colombia, South America (Pisces, Ostariophysi, Anostomidae)
1988; Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University; Volume: 140; Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1938-5293
Autores Tópico(s)Ichthyology and Marine Biology
Resumo-Leporinus boehlkei sp. n. from La Balsa and Puerto Lopez in the Rio Meta system in Colombia is described. It is a light brown, medium size species (nearly 200 mm S.L.), adult specimens having three large midlateral brown blotches on the body. It differs from the other species of Leporinus in the following combination of characters: mouth anterior; eight premaxillary and eight dentary teeth; 35 or 36 scales on the lateral line and 12 circumpeduncular series of scales [Anostomidae, Colombia, Leporinus, Neotropical, new species, principal component analysis, taxonomy]. A collection of about three hundred specimens of anostomid fishes from Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, kindly loaned by the late Dr. James E. Bohlke, was studied during a revision of the genus Leporinus Spix, 1829 (Garavello 1979). In this material I found three species of the genus Leporinus with three black blotches on the trunk: muyscorum, friderici, and an undescribed species represented by several samples which I name in honor of the late Dr. James E. Bohlke. The species of Leporinus occurring in Colombia are discussed, and boehlkei, friderici and muyscorum are compared. Comments on the geographical distribution of Leporinus in the area are made. There are very few publications dealing with the genus Leporinus from the Rio Meta, Colombia. Eigenmann (1922) lists only L. striatus Kner, L. ecuadorensis Steindachner, L. muyscorum Steindachner and L. yophorus Eigenmann. Fowler (1942) referred to L. striatus, L. muyscorum, and L. yophorus. The most recent list from the Orinoquia Colombiana, which includes the Rio Meta system (Cala 1977), contains three species of Leporinus: L. brunneus Myers, L. fasciatus (Bloch) and L. yophorus Eigenmann. In addition, there are several other species reported from the Rio Orinoco system that are readily identifiable on the basis of their original descriptions. These are: L. latofasciatus Steindachner, L. affinis Gunther, L. trifasciatus Steindachner and L. moralesi Fowler. Steindachner's (1858:53) reference to L. elongatus Valenciennes in the basin is probably a misidentification, since this species is known only from the La Plata and Sao Francisco river systems. Eigenmann (1922) may have been correct in considering the name elongatus synonymous with L. muyscorum Steindachner in the Orinoco system. Miles (1947) also included elongatus in the synonymy of muyscorum in Colombia.
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