Bleekeriella, Marceniuk & Oliveira & Ferraris Jr, 2024

Marceniuk, Alexandre Pires, Oliveira, Claudio & Ferraris Jr, Carl J., 2024, A new classification of the family Ariidae (Osteichthyes: Ostariophysi: Siluriformes) based on combined analyses of morphological and molecular data, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 200 (2), pp. 426-476 : 463

Bleekeriella gen. nov.

MP 100, BI 1, ML 100

( Figs 1–3 , 40 )

ZooBank registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8CB66BBD-FB43-495E-B45A-EBF42667194F .

Type species: Arius leptaspis Bleeker, 1862 .

Diagnosis (all of ambiguous optimization)

Posterior branch of lateral ethmoid depressed (13, 0> 1); posterior cranial fontanel absent (26, 1> 0); epiphyseal bar indistinct (28, 0> 1); medial groove of cranium absent (30, 0> 1); temporal fossa very reduced (39, 1> 0); posterior process of exoccipital sutured to Müllerian ramus (93, 0> 1); autopalatine posterior portion conspicuously compressed (106, 0> 1); articulation of autopalatine with lateral ethmoid posteromesially oriented (110, 0> 1); lateral and mesial portions of premaxilla with different sizes (121,0> 1); anteroventral portion of opercle subtrapezoidal, very long (127, 1> 0); one-half or less of interopercle posterior part contacting ventral margin of opercle (131, 1> 0); sesamoid bone I very long and subtriangular (145, 0> 1); Müllerian ramus bone blade evident only basally (206, 2> 1); Müllerian ramus distal third markedly curved (208, 1> 2).

Etymology

Named for the Dutch ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker (1819–1878) who contributed greatly to our understanding of the taxonomy of ariids from the Indo–Malaysian archipelago. Gender: feminine.

Included species

Bleekeriella leptaspis Bleeker, 1862

Bleekeriella aff. leptaspis .

Habitat and distribution: Predominantly brackish waters, southern New Guinea and northern Australia ( Fig. 38 ).

Remarks

Arius leptaspis was previously included in Ariopsis Kailola 2004 or Sciades ( Marceniuk and Menezes 2007, Marceniuk et al. 2012), but results of the total-evidence analysis indicate that it is not closely related to species of either genus, but is related closely to an unnamed species from Indonesia. These findings corroborate a previous molecular study (Betancur-R. 2009).

Figures

Figure 1. MP analysis.Subfamilies (SF) Galeichthyinae (pink), Bagreinae (bright blue), and Ariinae (dark blue). Tribe (T) Ariini (blue), Cathopsini (orange), Genidentini tribe nov. (brown), and Sciadeini tribe nov. (light green).Subtribe (ST) Ariina (light blue) and Doiichthyina (green). Incertae sedis taxa (IS) (red). Numbers over branches correspond to the bootstrap support.

Figure 2. ML analysis. Subfamilies (SF) Galeichthyinae (pink), Bagreinae (bright blue), and Ariinae (dark blue). Tribe (T) Ariini (blue), Cathopsini (orange), Genidentini tribe nov. (brown), and Sciadeini tribe nov. (light green). Subtribe (ST) Ariina (light blue) and Doiichthyina (green). Incertae sedis taxa (IS) (red). Numbers over branches correspond to the bootstrap support.

Figure 3. BI analysis.Subfamilies (SF) Galeichthyinae (pink), Bagreinae (bright blue), and Ariinae (dark blue). Tribe (T) Ariini (blue), Cathopsini (orange), Genidentini tribe nov. (brown), and Sciadeini tribe nov. (light green).Subtribe (ST) Ariina (light blue) and Doiichthyina (green). Incertae sedis taxa (IS) (red). Numbers over branches correspond to the bootstrap support.

Figure 38. Representative skulls, in dorsal view, and distribution of the subtribe Doiichthyina.A, Brustiarius nox, AUM 47488. B, Paracinetodus carinatus, AUM 47550.C, Cochlefelis spatula, AUM 50296. D, Nedystoma dayi, AUM 47500. E, Aceroichthys dioctes, AUM 47507. F, Pachyula crassilabris, AUM 47509. G, Pararius proximus, AUM 47486.H, Potamosilurus velutinus, AUM 47489.* marine, ** brackish waters, *** freshwater.

Figure 40. Bleekeriella leptaspis, northern Australia and New Guinea, photograph by Ricardo Betancur-R., type species of the genus.