Hypsolebias splendissimus

description

Description. Morphometric data appear in Table 2. Body relatively deep, compressed. Greatest body depth at vertical just anterior to pelvic-fin base. Dorsal and ventral profiles of head and trunk slightly convex, approximately straight on caudal peduncle. Head narrow, sub-triangular in lateral view. Jaws short, teeth numerous, conical, irregularly arranged; outer teeth hypertrophied, inner teeth small and numerous. Vomerine teeth absent. Gill-rakers on first branchial arch 2 + 10 - 11, gill-rakers short, straight, without denticles. Dorsal and anal fins pointed in males, with two or three filaments on tip, rounded, without filaments, in females. Caudal fin rounded. Pectoral fin sub-lanceolate, posterior tip reaching vertical between base of 5 th and 7 th anal-fin rays in males, reaching between anus and urogenital papilla in females. Pelvic fin small, tip reaching base of 3 rd anal-fin ray in males, reaching between urogenital papilla and anal-fin origin in females; pelvic-fin bases medially united. Dorsal-fin origin on vertical between base of 2 nd and 4 th anal-fin rays in males, between base of 4 th and 6 th anal-fin rays in females. Dorsal-fin rays 19 - 22 in males, 15 - 16 in

Diversity and conservation of seasonal killifishes of the Hypsolebiasfulminantis complex from a Caatinga semiarid upland plateau, Sao Francisco River basin, northeastern Brazil (Cyprinodontiformes, Aplocheilidae)

diagnosis

Diagnosis. Hypsolebias splendissimus differs from H. fulminantis and H. shibattai by having: pectoral fin red in males (vs. hyaline in H. fulminantis and H. shibattai), well-developed filamentous rays on the tips of the dorsal and anal fins in adult males (vs. filamentous rays absent or rudimentary, poorly visible), and the second proximal radial of the dorsal fin between the neural spines of the 8 th and 9 th vertebrae in males (vs. between the neural spines of the 6 th and 7 th vertebrae). Also distinguished from H. shibattai by having the dorsal-fin origin posterior to the anal-fin origin in males (vs. anterior), distinctive red bars restricted to the anterior portion of the flank males (vs. extending over the whole flank), and absence of contact organs on the pectoral fin in males (vs. present).

Diversity and conservation of seasonal killifishes of the Hypsolebiasfulminantis complex from a Caatinga semiarid upland plateau, Sao Francisco River basin, northeastern Brazil (Cyprinodontiformes, Aplocheilidae)

distribution

Distribution, habitat and conservation. Hypsolebias splendissimus is known from a single collection at the type locality, a temporary pool in a flat plains area about 1.5 km W from the confluence between the Poco do Magro and Carnaiba de Dentro rivers, middle Sao Francisco River basin, Bahia, Brazil (14 ° 12 ' 54 " S 42 ° 50 ' 22 " W, altitude about 505 m asl; Fig. 4). At the time of the type series collection (30 January 2010) the pool was about 100 m long and 30 m wide, with a maximum depth of about 0.5 m. All individuals of H. splendissimus were concentrated in one part of the pool, near its margin, in an area about 100 m 2, that was densely populated by shrubs and aquatic plants, forming a distinctive shaded habitat. This site was visited again in January 2017, but the entire pool had been drained and landfilled by bulldozers and the new species was not found again.

Diversity and conservation of seasonal killifishes of the Hypsolebiasfulminantis complex from a Caatinga semiarid upland plateau, Sao Francisco River basin, northeastern Brazil (Cyprinodontiformes, Aplocheilidae)

etymology

Etymology. From the Latin splendissimus (very splendid), an allusion to the bright colours in males of the new species, which is among the most colourful South American aplocheiloid killifishes.

Diversity and conservation of seasonal killifishes of the Hypsolebiasfulminantis complex from a Caatinga semiarid upland plateau, Sao Francisco River basin, northeastern Brazil (Cyprinodontiformes, Aplocheilidae)