A synthesis concerning fishes from Upper Paraná River basin is presented, based on data from fish-collections, literature, and new field samples. Three hundred and ten species, pertaining to 11 orders and 38 families, are referred to the drainage, elevating anterior estimates. Concerning total species, 236 (76.1%) are autochthonous, 67 (21.6%) are allochthonous, and seven (2.3%) are exotic. Principal causes of occurrence of non-native species are: a) dispersal from the Lower Paraná, after the construction of Itaipu dam, and b) escapes from aquaculture farms. Most species (65%) are small-sized, having less than 21 cm of length, and the great majority occurs only in headwaters and small streams. One of the best known and most studied in Brazil, Upper Paraná ichthyofauna richness is far from reaching actual numbers, considering the exponential elevation of species presented herein. Indeed, in the last years various new species have been described and around 50 other species, already recognized as new, are now under description. The improvement on the knowledge about Upper Paraná ichthyofauna is proportional to the number of researchers involved with studies in the area and, unequivocally, reflects recent initiatives stimulating and incrementing taxonomic research, and also improving access to fish collections and to poor or never-sampled areas. However, if we are going to maintain the number of species descriptions per year of last decade, the 50 new species already recognized, will be described only in the next ten years, a period too long. In consequence it is very important that scientific community and grant agencies find and offer initiatives in order to elevate the number of new taxa descriptions per year.Keywords: fishes, freshwater, southeasten Brazil, inventory, transposition. É apresentada uma síntese sobre os peixes do Alto Paraná, com base em dados de coleções, dados de literatura e novas coletas. Trezentas e dez espécies, de 11 ordens e 38 famílias, são referidas para a drenagem, aumentando significativamente números anteriores. Dentre as espécies da área, 236 (76,1%) são autóctones, 67 (21,6%) alóctones e sete (2,3%) exóticas. As principais causas de ocorrência de espécies não nativas (alóctones e exóticas) foram a dispersão a partir do baixo Paraná, após a construção do Reservatório de Itaipu e o escape de pisciculturas. A maior parte das espécies referidas (65%) tem porte pequeno, sendo menor que 21 cm de comprimento; dentre essas, a maioria

BackgroundFreshwaters are the most threatened ecosystems on earth. Although recent assessments provide data on global priority regions for freshwater conservation, local scale priorities remain unknown. Refining the scale of global biodiversity assessments (both at terrestrial and freshwater realms) and translating these into conservation priorities on the ground remains a major challenge to biodiversity science, and depends directly on species occurrence data of high taxonomic and geographic resolution. Brazil harbors the richest freshwater ichthyofauna in the world, but knowledge on endemic areas and conservation in Brazilian rivers is still scarce.Methodology/Principal FindingsUsing data on environmental threats and revised species distribution data we detect and delineate 540 small watershed areas harboring 819 restricted-range fishes in Brazil. Many of these areas are already highly threatened, as 159 (29%) watersheds have lost more than 70% of their original vegetation cover, and only 141 (26%) show significant overlap with formally protected areas or indigenous lands. We detected 220 (40%) critical watersheds overlapping hydroelectric dams or showing both poor formal protection and widespread habitat loss; these sites harbor 344 endemic fish species that may face extinction if no conservation action is in place in the near future.Conclusions/SignificanceWe provide the first analysis of site-scale conservation priorities in the richest freshwater ecosystems of the globe. Our results corroborate the hypothesis that freshwater biodiversity has been neglected in former conservation assessments. The study provides a simple and straightforward method for detecting freshwater priority areas based on endemism and threat, and represents a starting point for integrating freshwater and terrestrial conservation in representative and biogeographically consistent site-scale conservation strategies, that may be scaled-up following naturally linked drainage systems. Proper management (e. g. forestry code enforcement, landscape planning) and conservation (e. g. formal protection) of the 540 watersheds detected herein will be decisive in avoiding species extinction in the richest aquatic ecosystems on the planet.

Hoplias lacerdae was originally described from the rio Ribeira de Iguape, Iporanga, São Paulo State. The Hoplias lacerdae group is defined as containing generally large trahiras with the medial margins of dentaries running parallel to each other and lacking teeth on the basihyal compared to the H. malabaricus group in which the medial margins of the dentaries converge towards the mandibular symphysis and which have teeth on the basihyal. A taxonomic revision of the group based on meristic and morphometric data identified five distinct species: H. lacerdae distributed in the rio Ribeira de Iguape and rio Uruguai; H. intermedius from the rio São Francisco, upper rio Paraná basin, and rio Doce; H. brasiliensis from rivers of the Atlantic Coastal drainage from the rio Paraguaçu to the rio Jequitinhonha; H. australis new species, endemic to the rio Uruguai; and H. curupira new species present in northern South America, including the rios Negro, Trombetas, Tapajós, Xingu, Tocantins and Capim in the Amazon basin, upper rio Orinoco near the rio Casiquiare (Venezuela), and coastal rivers of Guyana and Suriname. A lectotype for Hoplias intermedius and a neotype for H. brasiliensis are designated.Hoplias lacerdae foi descrita originalmente do rio Ribeira de Iguape, Iporanga, São Paulo. O grupo Hoplias lacerdae foi definido como um conjunto de espécies para abrigar as traíras geralmente de grande porte, com as margens mediais dos dentários dispostas paralelamente e sem dentes no basi-hial, em oposição às traíras do grupo Hoplias malabaricus, cujas margens mediais dos dentários convergem em direção à sínfise mandibular e possuem dentes no basi-hial. A revisão taxonômica do grupo baseada em dados merísticos e morfométricos identificou cinco espécies distintas: Hoplias lacerdae distribuída nos rios Ribeira de Iguape e Uruguai; H. intermedius no rio São Francisco, alto rio Paraná e rio Doce; H. brasiliensis nos rios costeiros da drenagem Atlântica, desde o rio Paraguaçu até o rio Jequitinhonha; H. australis espécie nova, endêmica ao rio Uruguai; e H. curupira espécie nova no norte da América do Sul, incluindo os rios Negro, Trombetas, Tapajós, Xingu, Tocantins e Capim na bacia Amazônica; alto rio Orinoco próximo ao rio Casiquiare (Venezuela) e rios costeiros da Guiana e Suriname. São designados um lectótipo para Hoplias intermedius e um neótipo para H. brasiliensis.

Abstract:The fish species living in the freshwaters of the São Paulo state (393) are distributed among four major river basins: upper Paraná, Paraíba do Sul, Ribeira de Iguape and a set of small coastal drainages flowing directly into the Atlantic Ocean. Since these river basins drain areas with distinct vegetation types, soils, etc., each one has a different species composition. In the Upper Paraná the large Rio Paraná and some of its large tributaries (Tietê, Paranapanema, and Grande) contain large species that support commercial fisheries, however, 70 to 80% of the ichthyofauna is composed by small species found in small streams, including those in headwaters where many are endemic. The inventory of the ichthyofauna greatly benefited from three research projects supported by the BIOTA/FAPESP program, but much work remains to be done to collect and describe new species from areas such as deep channels, headwaters and marginal and swampy áreas around ponds and man-made lakes and reservoirs. The ichthyofauna of the São Paulo State has suffered from deforestation, sewage, damming of rivers for construction of power plants, urbanization, etc., so that 66 species are currently considered threatened at various levels according to the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Keywords: fresh water fishes, biodiversity of the State of São Paulo, BIOTA/FAPESP Program.

Species of the loricariid genus Hypostomus Lacépède, 1803 from rio Ribeira de Iguape drainage (São Paulo and Paraná States, Brazil) are reviewed. Four species were found in the area: H. agna (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1907), H. ancistroides (Ihering, 1911), H. interruptus (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1918), and a new species H. tapijara. Hypostomus tapijara is distinguished from its congeners inhabiting rio Ribeira de Iguape basin by the presence of well defined large, dark, and roundish spots somewhat homogeneously distributed over body and fins, and by its relatively broad dorsal fin (interradial membranes apparently wider than in examined congeners from coastal Brazilian drainages). A key, descriptions and illustrations are provided for all species.

Most species of the genus Harttia inhabits the headwaters of small tributaries, but some species are restricted to the main channel of some rivers. This feature, combined with limited dispersal ability, leads to the formation of small isolated populations with reduced gene flow. Currently, there are 23 taxonomically defined and recognized species, and 17 of these are found in Brazil, distributed in several hydrographic basins. Despite this diversity, few chromosomal data for the species belonging to this genus are found in the literature. Thus, this study analyzed, by classical and molecular cytogenetics methodologies, the chromosomal diversity of this genus, to discuss the processes that are involved in the evolution and karyotype differentiation of the species of the group. Seven species of Harttia were analyzed: H. kronei, H. longipinna, H. gracilis, H. punctata, H. loricariformis, H. torrenticola, and H. carvalhoi. The chromosomal diversity found in these species includes different diploid and fundamental numbers, distinct distribution of several repetitive sequences, the presence of supernumerary chromosomes in H. longipinna and multiple sex chromosome systems of the type XX/XYY in H. carvalhoi and XXXX/XXY in H. punctata. Lastly, our data highlight the genus Harttia as an excellent model for evolutionary studies.

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Two new species of the trichomycterid catfish genus Trichomycterus from the rio Ribeira de Iguape basin, southeastern Brazil, are described. Trichomycterus tupinamba differs from the other species of the Trichomycterinae in having the first pectoral-fin ray not prolonged as a filament, the caudal fin is truncate with attenuated edges, two paired supraorbital pores s6, eye oriented dorsally, a subterminal mouth, anal and urogenital openings mid-way between the pelvic-fin margin and anal-fin origin, a dark spot at the base of the nasal barbel, a longitudinal row of dark spots along the midline of the flank from the opercle to the caudal-fin base, a pectoral-girdle width of 13.1-17.7 % of standard length, and a caudal-peduncle depth of 8.7-10.3 % of standard length. Trichomycterus jacupiranga differs from all other species of the Trichomycterinae in having the first pectoral-fin ray prolonged as a short filament, one fused supraorbital pore s6, a pelvic fin that covers the anal and urogenital openings, anal and urogenital openings that are closer to the anal-fin origin than to the pelvic-fin base, a truncated caudal fin with attenuated edges, and the following morphometric characteristics: head length 20.7-22.4 % standard length, preanal length 57.1-70.9 % standard length, pectoral girdle width 17.4-20.6 % standard length, trunk length 33.6-37.5 % standard length, pectoral-fin length 16.8-22.7 % standard length, dorsal-fin base length 12.8-14.1 % standard length, anal-fin base length 8.4-10.8 % standard length, head width 90.6-104.6 % head length, snout length 40.0-46.9 % head length, mouth width 27.0-37.3 % head length, and eye diameter 10.4-16.5 % head length. Distribution, ecological data and diagnostic features are presented for both new species.
Duas espécies novas de Trichomycterus da bacia do rio Ribeira de Iguape são descritas. Trichomycterus tupinamba difere das demais espécies de Trichomycterinae por apresentar o primeiro raio da nadadeira peitoral não prolongado como um filamento, nadadeira caudal truncada com margens levemente arredondadas, dois poros supraorbitais s6 contra-laterais, olhos orientados dorsalmente, boca subterminal, abertura anal e urogenital no meio do espaço entre a margem da nadadeira pélvica e a origem da nadadeira anal, uma mancha escura na base dos barbilhões nasais, uma linha longitudinal mediana formada por manchas escuras enfileiradas do opérculo até próximo da nadadeira caudal, largura da cintura peitoral 13.1-17.7 % do comprimento padrão e altura do pedúnculo caudal 8.7-10.3 % do comprimento padrão. Trichomycterus jacupiranga distingue-se das demais espécies de Trichomycterinae por apresentar o primeiro raio da nadadeira peitoral prolongado em um curto filamento, um poro supraorbital s6 fusionado, nadadeira pélvica cobrindo as aberturas anal e urogenital, aberturas anal e urogenital mais próximas da origem da nadadeira anal que da base da nadadeira pélvica, nadadeira caudal truncada com margens levemente arredondadas e pelas características morfométricas: comprimento da cabe...