The species Moenkhausia australis was described based on two specimens from arroyos Trementina and Chagalalina, Rio Paraguai basin, Paraguay. Its taxonomic history is complex and for many years the species was considered a synonym of Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae. Moenkhausia australis shares a reticulated color pattern with the Moenkhausia oligolepis/M. sanctaefilomenae complex, being more similar within the species included in the complex to M. oligolepis, M. sanctaefilomenae, and M. forestii, with which it shares a prepelvic region laterally compressed, a feature also observed in Bario steindachneri. The laterally compressed prepelvic region is inferred to be putatively synapomorphic for the subgroup herein denominated as Moenkhausia oligolepis group. Our results, based on both molecular and morphological data, support the validity of Moenkhausia australis, which can be readily distinguished from the other members of the group by possessing the following combination of characters: complete lateral line, 23–27 scales in the lateral line, and five scales series above and below the lateral line. Our analysis also indicates three genetic structured populations of M. australis, from Rio Paraguai, upper Rio Paraná, and Rio Madeira basins. Since they are not diagnosable by morphological characters, we conservatively maintain these three genetic lineages as a single species.
The ribeirão Sucuri, a tributary of the rio Tietê, and part of the upper rio Paraná basin, is located in the municipality of Pongaí, São Paulo state. The ichthyofauna of ribeirão Sucuri was sampled at nine collection sites in May 2018. Our study captured 408 specimens representing five orders, 11 families, and 35 species. Among the species collected, two have not been previously reported from the rio Tietê basin: Eigenmannia guairaca Peixoto, Dutra & Wosiacki, 2015 and Hoplias misionera Rosso, Mabragaña, González-Castro, Delpiani, Avigliano, Schenone & Días de Astarloa, 2016. Additionally, four species were found that are non-native: Hoplias misionera, Poecilia reticulata Peters, 1859, Roeboides descalvadensis Fowler, 1932, and Satanoperca sp. This study represents the first fish inventory of a tributary on the left margin of the Tietê-Batalha sub-basin and only the second for this portion of the rio Tietê. Our results increase to 55 the number of species recorded from this sub-basin and add data on the putative morphological variation in several species.
The introduction of exotic species, although harmful to the natural environment, still occurs accidentally, intentionally or as a strategy of biological control. In this work, a specimen of Betta splendens was collected and recorded for Northeastern Brazil, a fish of the family Osphronemidae, originally from Asia. This species has the potential to compete with the native species, causing alterations in the natural community. The record of this species in Brazilian environments and the lack of diagnostic works on this region makes this work of special importance and as an incentive for future investigations.
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