𝐴𝑟𝑔𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑖𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑒, a new species of rivulid killifish is described near the Iguazú Falls, within Iguazú National Park, Argentina.
Paywall – https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjz-2023-0132
Big thank you to lead author on this paper Felipe Alonso (Killifish Foundation) for making the paper available here – https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21ANx%5Fvnso8sIE%2DV0&id=8BE948097CF425EC%21100832&cid=8BE948097CF425EC&parId=root&parQt=sharedby&o=OneUp
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲
Expect the unexpected: a new species of killifish from a highly stochastic temporary wetland near Iguazú Falls (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae)
𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Felipe Alonso, Guillermo Enrique Terán, Pablo Calviño, Wilson Sebastián Serra Alanís, Martin Miguel Montes, Ignacio Daniel García, Jorge Adrián Barneche, Liliana Ciotek, Pablo Giorgis, and Jorge Casciotta. 2024. Expect the unexpected: a new species of killifish from a highly stochastic temporary wetland near Iguazú Falls (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae). Canadian Journal of Zoology. 102(3): 298-314. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2023-0132
𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁
We describe 𝐴𝑟𝑔𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑖𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑒, a new species of killifish from a small temporary wetland in the Paraná Forest ecoregion with no regular or predictable temporal pattern of water availability. This habitat is in the Lower Iguazú River Basin, known for its high fish endemism, but until now, only two species of Rivulidae were reported from it, but from the Araucarian Forest ecoregion.
The genus 𝐴𝑟𝑔𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑖𝑎𝑠 was previously only known from the lower portions of the Paraguay, Paraná, and Uruguay basins and middle Paraná. The new species is distinguished from all congeners by its unique coloration, which includes a conspicuously dark grey anterior third portion of the dorsal fin and the absence of iridescent spots on the basal half of the pectoral fin in live adult males, as well as dark grey spots on the anterocentral portion of the flanks of females.
Our phylogenetic analysis shows 𝐴. 𝑎𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑒 to be closely related to 𝐴𝑟𝑔𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑖𝑎𝑠 𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑖 from the adjacent Middle Paraná basin. We also provide data on the ecology, ontogeny of coloration, and chorion ornamentation of this species.
Our findings have important implications for understanding the biogeography, ecology, and evolution of mechanisms that enable organisms to thrive in highly stochastic environments like this one.
𝗘𝘁𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆
The name of the species “𝑎𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑒” is a tribute to Argentinian ichthyologist Dr. Adriana Almirón, in recognition of her significant contributions to neotropical ichthyology. This name “underlines the vital role of women in scientific progress and emphasises the importance of a gender-biased scientific environment”.
𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁
𝐴𝑟𝑔𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑖𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑒, from the paper.
Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published in Canadian Journal of Zoology.
Since I bought my first second-hand aquarium when I was twelve, I have always had one or more aquariums. I even converted a garage into a breeding room where I had 50 aquariums containing around 10,000 liters of water. At the moment, I have two aquariums: a 1,250-liter Tanganyika aquarium and a 250-liter community aquarium with plants. For the past 10 years, I have been working on this website as a writer and photographer.
