Charax notulatus Lucena, 1987

Menezes, Naércio A. & de Lucena, Carlos Alberto S., 2014, A taxonomic review of the species of Charax Scopoli, 1777 (Teleostei: Characidae: Characinae) with description of a new species from the rio Negro bearing superficial neuromasts on body scales, Amazon basin, Brazil, Neotropical Ichthyology 12 (2), pp. 193-228 : 217-218

Charax notulatus Lucena, 1987

Fig. 21

Charax notulatus Lucena, 1987: 46 (original description, type locality: Venezuela, DeltaAmacuro, río Orinoco , small cãno near mouth of Caño Soroco). - Vari & Howe, 1991: 13-14 (listed in type catalog). -Oyakawa, 1996: 456 (listed in type catalog). -Provenzano et al., 1998: 5 (listed in type catalog). - Lucena, 1989: 104 (in key to species). - Lucena & Menezes, 2003: 201 (maximum length; distribution).

Diagnosis. Among congeners Charax notulatus differs from C. apurensis , C. macrolepis , C. michaeli , C. pauciradiatus , C. gibbosus , C. niger , and C. leticiae in the orbital diameter (26.1-28.5% vs. 30.1-38.4% of HL, Fig. 4 ). Charax notulatus can be distinguished from C. caudimaculatus in the snout length (24.3-26.3% vs. 20.3-22.8% of HL, Fig. 5 ). Charax notulatus differs from C. hemigrammus , C. condei , and C. stenopterus by having the lateral line complete (vs. lateral line incomplete), from C. rupununi by the number of scales around the caudal peduncle (20-22 vs. 12) and from C. tectifer , C. metae , and C. delimai by having the anal-fin origin always located anterior to the vertical through the dorsal-fin origin (vs. anal-fin origin on, the vertical or slightly posterior to, the vertical through the dorsal-fin origin) and ectopterygoid teeth absent (vs. ectopterygoid teeth present).

Description. Morphometrics of examined specimens presented in Table 12 . Body elongate, moderately large (53- 79 mm SL), compressed and moderately deep. Greatest body depth slightly in advance of dorsal-fin origin. Dorsal profile of head and body straight from tip of snout to anterior region of fontanel, slightly concave from that point to base of supraoccipital spine, convex from that point to dorsal-fin origin, nearly straight along dorsal-fin base and from end of dorsal-fin base to caudal peduncle and slightly concave along caudal peduncle. Ventral profile of head and body convex from tip of lower jaw to anal-fin origin, nearly straight along anal-fin base and concave from end of anal-fin base to beginning of procurrent rays. Snout pointed. Lower jaw included in upper jaw when mouth closed. Maxilla extending to about vertical through posterior border of pupil.

Dorsal-fin rays ii, 9 posteriormost ray unbranched.Adipose fin present. Unbranched anal-fin rays iv or v, usually iv, branched rays 43-53, 48.1. Pectoral-fin rays i, 13-16, 14.6. Tips of longest pectoral-fin rays reaching to, or slightly beyond, vertical through anal-fin origin. Pelvic-fin rays i, 7. Tips of longest pelvic-fin rays reaching vertical through bases of fourth and sixth branched anal-fin rays. Principal caudal-fin ray count 10/ 9 in all specimens.

Lateral line complete; perforated scales 58-64, 60.5. Horizontal scale rows from dorsal-fin origin to lateral line 18- 19, 18.1. Horizontal scale rows from pelvic-fin origin to lateral line 10-12, 11.5. Scale rows from anal-fin origin to lateral line 14-17, 15.1. Predorsal scales 46-52, 48.5. Scale rows around caudal peduncle 20-22, 20.7. Scale row along anal-fin base extending for about 2 /

3

of fin base.

Premaxillary with one anterior canine-like tooth followed by a set of smaller conical teeth and another canine-like tooth followed by one or two small conical teeth. Total number of premaxillary teeth 13-15, 14. Maxillary teeth conical, 58-78, 63.6; larger specimens usually with higher counts. Dentary with one canine-like tooth followed by 3-4, 3.6 conical teeth, another canine-like tooth and a posterior row of 28-34, 30.5 conical teeth.

Vertebrae 32 in one specimen. Gill-rakers on lower limb of first gill-arch 8-9, 8.7. Branchiostegal rays 4; 3 rays originating from anterior ceratohyal and 1 from posterior ceratohyal.

Color in alcohol. Body pale to light yellow, slightly darker dorsally than on lateral and ventral regions. Body lighter ventrally with scattered dark chromatophores especially posteriorly. Dorsal region of head, snout and tip of lower jaw darker than remainder of head. Dark chromatophores spreading over first, second, between second and third infraorbitals as subocular blotch extending ventrally to ventral border of preopercle. Dark chromatophores scattered over median portion of lower jaw and median portion of maxilla. Scattered dark chromatophores on preopercle, and opercle. Irregularly shaped, vertically elongate, dark humeral blotch extending about 5 to 7 scales horizontally and 5 to 8 scales vertically. Small, oval-shaped, dark caudal blotch on caudal base with dark chromatophores of posterocentral portion extending over bases of median caudal-fin rays. Inconspicuous dark lines of chromatophores forming V-shaped patterns along miosepta of epaxial muscles above lateral line. All fins hyaline with scattered dark chromatophores, more visible on interradial membranes. Anterior portion of first and second unbranched dorsal-fin rays and first unbranched rays of pectoral and pelvic fins darker than remaining rays.

Distribution. This species occurs in tributaries of the río Orinoco drainage ( Fig. 7 ).

Specimens reexamined. Venezuela: USNM 233624 , 5 paratypes, 65.7-71.5 mm SL, Delta do Amacuro, 111 nautic miles above Mar de Buoy, small stream near mouth of río Socoroco , río Orinoco drainage, 08°35’N 61°42’W ; USNM 260305 , 1 paratype, 76 mm SL, Guárico, 5 km N of RPV 83-4, río Portuguesa, 08°14’N 67°35’W ; USNM 270254 , 3 paratypes, 70-74 mm SL, Monagas, Los Castillos, isolated pond between Ordoz and Barrancas, 263 nautical miles from Sea Buoy , 08°31’36"N 62°26’42"W ; MZUSP 28659 , 1 paratype, 62 mm SL, Delta do Amacuro, río Guarguapo, tributary of río Orinoco. Already included in Lucena (1987) .

Figures

Fig. 21. Charax notulatus, USNM 260305, female, paratype, 77 mm SL, Venezuela, Guárico, 5 km N of RPV 83-4, río Portuguesa.

Fig. 4. Orbital diameter as a function of head length for species of Charax.

Fig. 5. Snout length as a function of head length for Charax caudimaculatus and C. notulatus.

Fig.7. Map of SouthAmerica showing the collecting sites of the Charax species, and the type locality of Charax delimai (purple circle). Charax apurensis - yellow square; C. caudimaculatus - white circle; C. condei - white square; C. gibbosus - purple triangle; C. hemigrammus - red star; C. leticiae - black circle;C. macrolepis-black triangle;C.metae-yellow triangle;C.michaeli - yellow circle;C.niger -blue triangle; C.notulatus - blue circle; C. pauciradiatus - red triangle; C. rupununi - red circle; C. stenopterus - green triangle; C. tectifer - green circle. Some symbols may represent more than one locality.