Wednesday, June 8, 2022

[Ichthyology • 2022] Tatia luisae • A New Species of Driftwood Catfish of Tatia (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae) from rio Tapajós, Brazil


Tatia luisae
 Ribeiro, Silva-Oliveira, Silva & Canto, 2022


Abstract​ 
A new species of Tatia is described from rio Tapajós, upstream of the rapids of São Luiz do Tapajós, Pará State, Brazil. The new species is identified and diagnosed from its congeners through morphological characteristics such as the absence of an adipose fin, which is shared with T. akroa and T. britskii; the composition of the cranial roof elements; the color pattern consisting of dorsolateral dark dots formed by both dermal and epidermal pigments; as well as several morphometric measures. The new species is a Centromochlinae fish that feeds on insects on the surface of the water at night and it is probably endemic to rio Tapajós basin.

Keywords: Amazonia, Biodiversity, Centromochlinae, Freshwater fishes, Taxonomy.

Live specimen of Tatia luisae, UFOPA-I 1361, 25.3 mm SL, paratype.

Tatia luisae, new species 
 
Diagnosis. Tatia luisae differs from all species of Tatia and Centromochlus, except T. akroa Souza, Sarmento-Soares, Canto & Ribeiro, 2020 and T. britskii Sarmento-Soares & Birindelli, 2015, by the absence (vs. present) of adipose fin. Tatia luisae differs from T. akroa by the dorsal-fin spine length (16.4–24.3% SL, mean 19.6 vs. 12.3–17.3% SL, mean, 14.7), head depth (56.4–71.9% HL, mean 66.3 vs. 40.6–57.6% HL, mean 47.2), interorbital distance (34.7–45.0% HL, mean 4.0 vs. 46.1–57.9% HL, mean 50.2), and posterior internarial distance (22.1–30.2% HL, mean 25.7 vs. 30.0–38.2% HL, mean 33.3). Tatia luisae differs from T. britskii by the body depth (17.8–24.6% SL, mean 22.6 vs. 14.6–17.1% SL, mean 16.2), dorsal-fin spine length (16.3–24.3% SL, mean 19.7 vs. 13.3–15.6% SL, mean 14.3), head depth (56.4–71.9% HL, mean 66.3 vs. 46.3–52.7% HL, mean 49.5), anterior internarial distance (14.6–24.2% HL, mean 21.9 vs. 29.2–33.0% HL, mean 31.2), and posterior internarial distance (22.1–30.2% HL, mean 25.7 vs. 31.5–34.7% HL, mean 33.5). Tatia luisae further differs from T. aulopygia (Kner, 1857), T. altae (Fowler, 1945), T. brunnea, T. caudosignata DoNascimiento, Albornoz-Garzón & García-Melo, 2019, T. dunni (Fowler, 1945), T. ferrarisi (Birindelli, Sarmento-Soares & Lima, 2015), T. galaxias Mees, 1974, T. gyrina (Eigenmann & Allen, 1942), T. intermedia, T. jacaratia Pavanelli & Bifi, 2009, T. meesi Sarmento-Soares & Martins Pinheiro, 2008, T. meridionalis, T. neivai (Ihering, 1930), T. perugiae (Steindachner, 1882), T. punctata Mees, 1974, T. reticulata Mees, 1974 and T. strigata Soares-Porto, 1995 by dotted color pattern on sides of body (vs. mottled, spotted or reticulated on flanks). Differs from T. aulopygia, T. boemia Koch & Reis, 1996, T. brunnea, T. caxiuanensis Sarmento-Soares & Martins-Pinheiro, 2008, T. caudosignata, T. dunni, T. galaxias, T. gyrina, T. intermedia, T. jaracatia, T. meesi, T. neivai, T. nigra, and T. strigata by the absence (vs. presence) of anterior nuchal plate.

Geographical distribution. Tatia luisae is currently known only from the middle rio Tapajós, upstream of the rapids of São Luiz do Tapajós, at Itaituba Municipality (Fig. 6).

Etymology. The specific epithet luisae is in honor to the Brazilian ichthyologist Luisa M. Sarmento-Soares, in recognition of her many contributions to the systematics of Neotropical catfishes of the subfamily Centromochlinae. A noun in the singular genitive case.



 Frank Raynner V. Ribeiro, Cárlison Silva-Oliveira, Alberto Conceição F. da Silva and  André L. Colares Canto. 2022. New Species of Driftwood Catfish of Tatia (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae) from rio Tapajós, Brazil. Neotrop Ichthyol. 20(2):e210164. ni.bio.br/1982-0224-2021-0164 
DOI: 10.1590/1982-0224-2021-0164