A new species of the leopard pleco genus Pseudacanthicus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the Rio Xingu, Brazil

Abstract

The genus Pseudacanthicus comprises six valid species distributed in the Amazon basin and Caribbean coastal drainages from Guyana to French Guiana: P. serratus, P. fordii, P. histrix, P. spinosus, P. leopardus and P. pitanga. A new species of Pseudacanthicus is described from the Rio Xingu Basin, distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: presence of anastomose dark blotches forming continuous zigzag bands alongside longitudinal keels; presence of dark blotches on ventral surface of body and head; all fins with orange to red colour on unbranched rays and sometimes subsequent branched rays. Brief comments on ornamental fisheries and conservation of the new species are also provided.

New length‐weight and length‐length relationships of the fish fauna from the Xingu River, Amazon Basin, Brazil

“…After capture, specimens were identified at the lowest taxonomic level based in specific literature (e.g. Andrade, Jégu, & Giarrizzo, 2016;Chamon & Sousa, 2016;Varella & Ito, 2018). All scientific names, authority and year of description follow Eschmeyer, Fricke, & Van der Laan (2018) and all species were consulted regarding to their relationships in FishBase (Froese & Pauly, 2018).…”

Chromosomal Diversification in Pseudacanthicus Species (Loricariidae, Hypostominae) Revealed by Comparative Mapping of Repetitive Sequences

“…Pseudacanthicus Bleeker, 1862 (Hypostominae, clade Acanthicus ) is a genus of Neotropical fish distributed along the Amazon and Tocantins River basins in Suriname and the Guiana shield [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]. Currently, this genus has eight valid species, in addition to numerous lineages not formally identified [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Representatives of Pseudacanthicus have great taxonomic complexity, being generically recognized through ambiguous morphological characters, such as external coloration patterns, which justifies the large number of unidentified lineages formally associated with this genus [ 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

“…Currently, this genus has eight valid species, in addition to numerous lineages not formally identified [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Representatives of Pseudacanthicus have great taxonomic complexity, being generically recognized through ambiguous morphological characters, such as external coloration patterns, which justifies the large number of unidentified lineages formally associated with this genus [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. It is worth noting that Pseudacanthicus species exhibit body shapes and coloration patterns that stand out in the practice of aquarism, making the species of this genus a target of intense commercialization in the national and international ornamental fish market [ 5 , 7 ].…”

Quaternary ironstones in the Xingu River, eastern Amazonia (Brazil)

“…1A). These ironstones are morphologically complex, marked by an array of cavities that define aquatic niches providing abundant shelter and highly diverse habitats for aquatic species in the Xingu River, including a unique fish fauna adapted to crystalline rocky substrates and fast-moving water (Sabaj Perez, 2015; Chamon and Sousa, 2016; Winemiller et al, 2016; Fitzgerald et al, 2017, 2018; Sousa et al, 2018; 2021). Thus, because they harbor endemic fish species currently threatened by extinction due to habitat loss, the Xingu iron crusts are of great ecological relevance to Amazonian ecosystems (Winemiller et al, 2016).…”