Scleromystax
| Scleromystax | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scleromystax barbatus, male (above) and female | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Callichthyidae |
| Subfamily: | Corydoradinae |
| Tribe: | Aspidoradini |
| Genus: | Scleromystax Günther, 1864 |
| Type species | |
| Callichthys barbatus Quoy & Gaimard, 1824 | |
Scleromystax is a genus of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Callichthyidae.
Taxonomy
The species of Scleromystax were previously classified within the genus Corydoras. However, Scleromystax species are now thought to be more closely related to Aspidoras in a tribe called Aspidoradini.[1] Although the monophyly of Scleromystax has been demonstrated, phylogenetic relationships of its species remains obscure. In addition, the taxonomic status of its species are only partially resolved.[2]
Species
There are currently four recognized species in this genus:[3]
- Scleromystax barbatus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) (Banded corydoras)
- Scleromystax macropterus (Regan, 1913) (Sailfin corydoras)
- Scleromystax prionotos (Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1980)
- Scleromystax salmacis Britto & R. E. dos Reis, 2005
Distribution
Scleromystax species are endemic to small tributaries from several coastal river basins draining the southern and southeatern regions in Brazil.[2]
Description
Most of the species of Scleromystax are highly sexually dimorphic species; males have developed odontodes inserted in fleshy papillae on the preopercular-opercular region, and the dorsal and pectoral fins are 2–3 times as long as those of females.[2] S. salmacis is an exception, as its sexually dimorphic features are subtle and non-remarkable. In fact, S. salmacis was named for Salmacis of Ovid's tale; this is an allusion to the slight difference between males and females when compared to other Scleromystax.[2] In S. barbatus, the dorsal and pectoral fins of males reach, or almost reach, the caudal peduncle, and well-developed odontodes are inserted in fleshy tissue on a large area on the sides of the snout in fully grown males. Although S. macropterus can have dorsal and pectoral fins proportionally longer than those of S. barbatus, odontodes on the sides of the snout are much smaller, scattered, and cover a smaller area.[2] The most conspicuous differences between S. barbatus and S. macropterus concern young males, recognized as such by the lanceolate genital papillae.[2]
References
- ↑ Britto, Marcelo R. (December 2003). "Phylogeny of the subfamily Corydoradinae Hoedeman, 1952 (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae), with a definition of its genera" (PDF). Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 153: 119–154. doi:10.1635/0097-3157(2003)153[0119:POTSCH]2.0.CO;2.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Britto, Marcelo R.; Reis, Roberto E. (2005). "A new Scleromystax species (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) from coastal rivers of Southern Brazil" (PDF). Neotropical Ichthyology 3 (4): 481–488. doi:10.1590/S1679-62252005000400005.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2011). Species of Scleromystax in FishBase. December 2011 version.