Mazarunia Kullander, 1990

López-Fernández, Hernán, Taphorn, Donald C. & Liverpool, Elford A., 2012, Phylogenetic diagnosis and expanded description of the genus Mazarunia Kullander, 1990 (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the upper Mazaruni River, Guyana, with description of two new species, Neotropical Ichthyology 10 (3), pp. 465-486 : 470

Mazarunia Kullander, 1990

Mazarunia Kullander, 1990: 3-14 [type species: Mazarunia mazarunii by original designation; relationships to Dicrossus and Crenicara ]. - Kullander, 2003: 638 [summary of type information, body size and distribution]. - López-Fernández et al., 2010: 1072, 1075, 1077, 1079-1081 [relationships within Neotropical cichlids and Geophagini (sensu López-Fernández et al., 2010), proposed sister relationship to Guianacara ].

Diagnosis. Distinguished from all other genera in Geophagini, including its sister genus Guianacara , and all other cichlids by the unique loss of infraorbital 6 ( Fig. 2 a-d, Character 116-3, see Fig. 1, Appendix 3, and phylogenetic section above). Phylogenetic analysis revealed two other characters with unique states but are present only in two of the three species of Mazarunia : 1) in M. mazarunii and M. pala the anterior arm of the first epibranchial bone is wider than the uncinate process ( Fig. 3 c-d, 100-2); in M. charadrica , the uncinate process and the anterior arm are approximately of the same width ( Fig. 3b , 100-1), which is a non-unique derived condition from that of the sister-genus Guianacara , in which the uncinate process is wider ( Fig. 3a , 100-0). The above condition in M. mazarunii and M. pala is associated with an apparently unique medial, anteroventral expansion of the first epibranchial ( Fig. 3 c-d, 101-4, see above); the epibranchial expansion in M. charadrica is largely reduced ( Fig. 3b , 101-2), its presence is a derived condition with respect to that in Guianacara ( Fig. 3a , 101-0). Beyond the above unique or nearly unique conditions, Mazarunia can be further distinguished from all other cichlid genera by the combination of a large number of non-unique characters (see phylogenetic section above), including: 1) a caudally scaled interoperculum (5-1); 2) equal-sized scales in the ventral and lateral chest regions (21-1); 3) a simple, disjunct pattern of lateral line squamation (57-1); 4) a well-developed posteroventral lateral expansion of the palatine that is largely contiguous with the ectopterygoid (92-2); 5) the absence of a suture between the hyomandibular and the metapterygoid (95-1); 6) the absence of an interarcual cartilage (103-2); 7) smooth preopercle, supracleithrum and extrascapula; 8) 2-3 tooth plates on ceratobranchial 4. See also Kullander (1990) for other diagnostic characters based on the original description of Mazarunia mazarunii . All species of Mazarunia can be further distinguished from species of their sister-genus Guianacara by their distinct color patterns.

Figures

Fig.2. Infraorbital series in left, lateral view, illustrating morphological character 116; a) Guianacara dacrya,character state 116-1, paratype, 58.0 mm SL,ANSP 179495; b) Mazarunia charadrica, character state 116-3, 56.0 mm SL, ROM 83808; c) Mazarunia mazarunii, character state 116-3, 50.1 mm SL, ROM 83869 d) Mazarunia pala, character state 116-3, 50.8 mm SL, ROM 83753.

Fig. 3. First epibranchial and pharyngobranchial bones in right, approximately antero-dorsal view illustrating morphological phylogenetic characters 100 and 101; a) Guianacara dacrya, character states 100-0, 101-0, 58.0 mm SL, ANSP 179495; b) Mazarunia charadrica, character states 100-1, 101-2,56.0 mm SL, ROM 83808; c) Mazarunia mazarunii, character states 100- 2,101-4, 50.1 mmSL,ROM 83869d)Mazarunia pala,character states 102-0, 101-4, 50.8 mm SL, ROM 83753; UP, uncinate process of the first epibranchial; AA, anterior arm of the first epibranchial; PhB, first pharyngobranchial.