The fishes presented herein were collected in small streams, in channel of lagoons and in the main channel of the Guariba River, as well as in one tributary of the right bank of the Roosevelt River, both clear-water tributaries of Aripuanã River, Madeira River basin. Field work was carried out in November 2008, during the low water season. Sampling resulted in 3924 specimens belonging to 160 species distributed in 34 families, and seven orders. Eight species are recognized as new, two of which were recently described. This study represents the first fish survey for the region and will certainly provide valuable information for future studies and maintenance of the poorly known fish diversity of these two conservation areas.
Omobranchus punctatus is native to the Indo-Pacific region and invasive in the Atlantic region, currently being considered one of the most widely distributed blenny species. However, recent molecular studies indicated that O. punctatus is a complex of species, with three divergent mtDNA lineages identified to date, stressing the need for a taxonomic revision. In this study, we used an integrative approach, combining morphological and genetic data, to shed light on the taxonomy and distribution of O. punctatus. Moreover, we provide the first genetic records of introduced populations in Brazil and discuss the introduction pattern of this species in this region. Morphological data shows that O. punctatus consists of at least five distinct and geographically restricted species: O. punctatus sensu stricto, O. dispar, O. sewalli, O. cf. kochi, and O. cf. japonicus. Species delimitation analyses performed using the mtDNA data available confirmed that O. punctatus sensu stricto, O. dispar and O. sewalli correspond to different species that started to diverge about 2.6 Mya. Furthermore, O. sewalli was identified as the invasive species colonizing Atlantic shores. The existence of historical oceanographic barriers, such as the emergence of the Sunda Shelf in the Eastern Indian Ocean during the Pleistocene, and the biological traits of these blennies are the most likely factors responsible for their genetic differentiation and subsequent speciation.
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