Hypsolebias faouri

description

Description. Morphometric data presented in Table 1. Largest specimen examined 44.6 mm SL. Body relatively deep, compressed, greatest body depth at level of pelvic fin base. Snout blunt. Urogenital papilla cylindrical and short in males, pocket-shaped in females. Dorsal profile slightly concave on head, convex from nape to end of dorsal-fin base, approximately straight on caudal peduncle. Ventral profile convex from lower jaw to the end of anal fin base, nearly straight on caudal peduncle. Eyes positioned on upper portion of side of the head. Tip of dorsal and anal fin pointed with filaments in males and rounded to slightly pointed in females. Tip of both dorsal and anal fins with filamentous rays in males, sometimes reaching vertical through posterior portion of caudal fin, 2 – 3 filaments in dorsal-fin and 1 – 3 filaments in anal-fin; filaments absent in females. Dorsal and anal fin rays unbranched in males and females. Caudal fin subtruncated in both sexes. Pectoral-fin elliptical. Posterior margin of each pectoral fin reaching vertical through base of third or fourth anal-fin ray in males, and between pelvic fin and first and second in females. Tip of each pelvic fin reaching b

Description of two new species of annual fishes of the Hypsolebias antenori species group (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae), from Northeast Brazil

diagnosis

Diagnosis. Males of Hypsolebias faouri differs from the remaining species of the Hypsolebias antenori species group by possessing a lower head depth (77.3 – 82.7 % HL vs. 97.1 – 108.7 % in H. janaubensis and 106.9 – 121.1 % in H. mediopapillatus), smaller eye diameter (21.8 – 22.9 % HL vs. 24.7 – 30.2 % in H. ghisolfii and 35.2 % in H. radiseriatus), eight pelvic-fin rays (vs. six or seven in H. igneus), shorter caudal-fin length (27.1 – 30.5 % SL vs. 33.1 – 35.8 % in H. antenori and 36.9 – 43.2 % in H. pterophyllus). It is distinguished from all other species of the Hypsolebias antenori species group by: the presence of inconspicuous bars on flank in live males, visible in preserved specimens, except H. igneus (vs. bars visible in live and preserved specimens); by possessing a unique anal-fin color pattern in males, with anterior two thirds orange and posterior portion yellow, with bluish white dots, blue spot on tip, black distal strip, except in H. igneus, H. antenori and H. coamazonicus (vs. yellow in H. ghisolfii, and pink anteriorly and yellow posteriorly in species of the H. flavicaudatus complex and H. flagellatus); presence of inconspicuous bars on flank in live males, vis

Description of two new species of annual fishes of the Hypsolebias antenori species group (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae), from Northeast Brazil

distribution

Distribution (Fig. 5). Known only from the type-locality. Habitat (Fig. 3). Typical annual pool in Caatinga biome, located about 96 km to the north of the city of Barreiras. The substrate is composed of clay and sand with slightly dark water. Aquatic vegetation is dense with a lot of Echinodorus sp. and Nymphea sp. Average depth of the pool is 100 cm, with deepest portions about 130 cm, with pH 6.5 and low electric conductivity (18 µS). The temperature on the water surface was approximately 28 º C and, in the deepest portion and banks, approximately 25 º C. The region’s annual average temperature is 28 º C, with maximum of 34 º C and minimum of 20 º C. The rainy season occurs from December to March. Sometimes the “ Veranico ” (Indian Summer) occurs, a phenomenon which consists of a dry period with high temperatures inside rainy seasons (Nielsen, 2008). Hypsolebias faouri was found with Astronotus ocellatus and Oreochromis niloticus. The pool is next to the road, near simple houses. The population living in these residences keep O. niloticus and A. ocellatus in the pool as a means of having an alternative source of protein. One side of the pool was excavated for preserving the water

Description of two new species of annual fishes of the Hypsolebias antenori species group (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae), from Northeast Brazil

etymology

Etymology. The species is named in honor and recognition to the first discoverer of the new species, the environmentalist Mr. Amer Faour.

Description of two new species of annual fishes of the Hypsolebias antenori species group (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae), from Northeast Brazil