Aim  To present a fish fauna survey from rivers draining the south‐western region of the Serra da Mantiqueira, and to investigate the effectiveness of that mountain range as a biogeographical barrier isolating the fish faunas of the Paraíba do Sul basin and the upper Paraná river. Location  Six drainages from the south‐western portion of the Serra da Mantiqueira in the region of Campos do Jordão, Brazil, were studied. They included three drainages belonging to the Paraíba do Sul basin (Piracuama, Grande and Buenos), and three belonging to the Sapucaí basin, Rio Paraná system (Sapucaí‐Mirim, upper Sapucaí and Santo Antônio). Methods  The survey was conducted in two sampling trips supplemented by examination of specimens preserved in museum collections. Parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) was used to detect the hierarchy of relationships among the six drainages. Results  A total of 47 species of fishes was recorded in the six drainages. The main watershed divide is an effective barrier between the two basins, with 28 species occurring exclusively in the Paraíba do Sul versant, and 15 occurring exclusively on the slope of the Sapucaí basin. The PAE of 18 species with cladistically informative distributions and unproblematic taxonomic diagnoses produced a single area cladogram, with complete congruence among 14 species. Main conclusions  The main Mantiqueira watershed divide is an effective biogeographical barrier isolating the fish faunas of the Paraíba do Sul and the Sapucaí basin (upper Paraná system). Previous hypotheses of a past connection between the upper Paraná and the Paraíba do Sul are not supported by extant species distributions in the Serra da Mantiqueira region. Within‐basin drainage differentiation, however, is relatively low.

A new species of Hyphessobrycon, H. peugeoti, is described from the middle portions of the rio Juruena drainage, upper rio Tapajós basin, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. It can be distinguished from all congeners, with the exception of H. loweae and H. heliacus, by a filamentous elongation of the dorsal fin and the approximately straight margin of the anal fin in adult males. It can be distinguished from both H. loweae and H. heliacus by an overall red coloration in life (vs. a golden coloration in life in the latter). Additionally, it can be distinguished from H. heliacus by the lack of chevron-like dark markings along the midline (vs. presence of chevron-like dark-markings in H. heliacus), and from H. loweae by the presence of only five horizontal scale rows between the dorsal-fin origin and the lateral line (vs. 6-7 in H. loweae), and the higher number of branched anal-fin rays (21-24, modally 22, vs. 17-21, modally 20, in H. loweae). Additional meristic, morphometric, and distributional data are provided for Hyphessobrycon loweae, including its first record in the rio Araguaia/Tocantins basin. Comments on a putative monophyletic group including H. peugeoti, H. loweae, H. heliacus, H. elachys, and H. moniliger are presented.Uma espécie nova de Hyphessobrycon, H. peugeoti, é descrita do trecho médio da drenagem do rio Juruena, bacia do alto rio Tapajós, estado de Mato Grosso, Brasil. Ela difere de todas as congêneres, com exceção de H. loweae e H. heliacus, pelo alongamento em forma de filamento da nadadeira dorsal e pela margem aproximadamente reta da nadadeira anal em machos adultos. Ela difere de H. loweae e H. heliacus por possuir coloração geral vermelha em vida (vs. colorido dourado em vida em H. loweae e H. heliacus). Além disto, a espécie nova difere de H. heliacus por não possuir marcas em forma de divisas ao longo da linha média do corpo (vs. marcas em forma de divisas presentes em H. heliacus), e de H. loweae por possuir apenas cinco séries de escamas horizontais entre a origem da nadadeira dorsal e a linha lateral (vs. 6-7 em H. loweae) e por possuir elevado número de raios ramificados na nadadeira anal (21-24, moda 22, vs. 17-21, moda 20 em H. loweae). Dados merísticos, morfométricos e de distribuição geográfica adicionais são fornecidos para H. loweae, incluindo os primeiros registros da espécie na bacia do rio Tocantins-Araguaia. Discute-se um grupo presumidamente monofilético que inclui H. peugeoti, H. loweae, H. heliacus, H. elachys e H. moniliger.

No abstract

Astyanax eremus, a new species of geographically isolated characid fish, is described from a small tributary of the upper rio Iguaçu basin. The new species belongs to the Astyanax scabripinnis species complex and is easily distinguished from its congeners included in this group by its allometric growth of the mouth, which goes from terminal in young individuals to subterminal mouth in larger specimens. Additionally, the new species is distinguished by meristic and morphometric characters. Astyanax eremus presents an evident polymorphism on the traditional character "number of teeth in inner premaxillary row". Comments about that character are provided.Astyanax eremus, uma espécie nova de caracídeo geograficamente isolada, é descrita de um pequeno tributário da bacia do alto rio Iguaçu. A espécie nova pertence ao complexo de espécies Astyanax scabripinnis e é facilmente distinguível dos congêneres deste grupo por apresentar desenvolvimento alométrico da boca, a qual passa de terminal nos indivíduos jovens a subterminal nos maiores. Além disso, a espécie nova é diagnosticada por caracteres merísticos e morfométricos. Astyanax eremus apresenta um acentuado polimorfismo do tradicional caráter "número de dentes da série interna do pré-maxilar". Uma discussão a respeito deste caráter é apresentada.

Rineloricaria langei and R. maacki, new species, are described from upper and middle regions of the rio Iguaçu basin, a left bank tributary of the rio Paraná basin, southern Brazil. Rineloricaria langei has narrow body and is similar to R. quadrensis, which is found in coastal rivers of Rio Grande do Sul State and is distinguishable by several morphometric characters. Rineloricaria maacki is distinguishable from all other congeners by the shape and extension of the naked area of the ventral region of pectoral girdle and other morphological characters. The presence of a naked region on the abdominal surface is shared with other species from the rio Paraná and rio Uruguay basins and coastal drainages from southeastern and southern Brazil. This may indicate a close phylogenetic relationship among these species. Similarities between the two new species and species from the aforementioned drainages also suggest close biogeographic relationship between the Paraná basin and other Brazilian coastal Atlantic drainages throughout the rio Iguaçu basin.Rineloricaria langei e R. maacki, espécies novas, são descritas para os cursos médio e alto da bacia do rio Iguaçu, tributário esquerdo do sistema do rio Paraná, sul do Brasil. Rineloricaria langei tem o corpo estreito e é semelhante a R. quadrensis, que ocorre nos rios costeiros do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, da qual distingui-se por características morfométricas. Rineloricaria maacki distingui-se de todas as suas congêneres pela forma e extensão da área nua da região ventral da cintura peitoral e outras características morfológicas. A presença de uma região nua na superfície ventral de R. maacki é compartilhada por outras espécies das bacias dos rios Paraná e Uruguai, e das drenagens costeiras do sudeste e sul do Brasil. Isto pode indicar uma proximidade filogenética entre estas espécies. Semelhanças entre as duas espécies novas e espécies das bacias supracitadas também sugerem um relacionamento biogeográfico próximo entre a bacia do Paraná e os rios costeiros brasileiros através da bacia do rio Iguaçu.

During recent studies on Parodontidae, specimens of the Venezuelan species Parodon orinocensis (Bonilla, Machado-Allison, Silvera, Chernoff, López & Lasso, 1999) were examined and a few incongruencies with the original description of the species were noted. Emendations to the descriptions of the jaw teeth and color pattern are presented. Three autapomorphies were also observed and are listed herein. The species is moved from genus Apareiodon to Parodon based on presence of dentary teeth.Durante estudos recentes sobre Parodontidae, espécimes da espécie venezuelana Parodon orinocencis (Bonilla, MachadoAllison, Silvera, Chernoff, López & Lasso, 1999) foram examinados e reconhecidas algumas incongruências na descrição original. Foram realizadas retificações relacionadas aos dentes das maxilas e ao padrão de coloração. Três autapomorfias foram observadas e são aqui listadas. Com base na presença de dentes no dentário a espécie é transferida do gênero Apareiodon para o gênero Parodon.

A new species of Scleronema (Trichomycteridae) is described from the lowlands of three coastal river basins in the Atlantic Forest of the Santa Catarina state, Southern Brazil. Aspects of the anatomy, reproduction, diet, feeding behavior and habitat of the new species are described and discussed in comparison with related taxa. The conservation status of the new species, which currently faces several threats due to environmental impacts on its region of occurrence, is established. Based on characteristics observed in the new species, as well as in most of its congeners, the phylogenetic position and monophyly of Scleronema are discussed and traits considered synapomorphic for the subgenera Plesioscleronema and Scleronema are reviewed. The monophyly of the genus Scleronema is supported by a new synapomorphy. In addition, two new synapomorphies, one of which based on behavior, are suggested for the subgenus Scleronema, justifying the inclusion of the new species. Within the subgenus Scleronema, the new species is assigned to the S. minutum group, which currently includes the majority of species of the genus, due to the presence of synapomorphic traits related to the body shape, maxillary barbel, skin flap of the opercle, caudal and pectoral fins, as well as osteological features of the lower jaw, hyoid arch, and postcranial axial skeleton. The species herein described differs from all its congeners by a combination of characters from various morphological complexes, which are described in detail using different methodologies, including radiography, whole-specimen clearing and double-staining procedures, and tridimensional computer nanotomography (3D nano-CT).

Recent samples revealed the first occurrences of Serrapinnus heterodon (Eigenmann) in three different sample sites from two drainages in northern Espírito Santo state, Brazil. This is also the first record of the subfamily Cheirodontinae for this State, whose territory is completely inserted in the Atlantic Rainforest ecoregion. The new records of S. heterodon were found with known introduced species and far outside of its usual distribution. This leads us to believe that its presence in the region may be the result of an introduction.