Austrolebias patriciae

Wilson J. E. M. Costa, 2006, The South American annual killifish genus Austrolebias (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae): phylogenetic relationships, descriptive morphology and taxonomic revision., Zootaxa 1213, pp. 1-162 : 95-97

Austrolebias patriciae (Huber)

(Fig. 37)

Cynolebias patriciae Huber, 1995: 6 ( type locality: ditch channel along road, about 500 m S from rio Negro , Província de Presidente Hayes, Paraguay, 25.25S 57.67W; holotype: ANSP 170424 ).

Material examined

Paraguay: Presidente Hayes: UFRJ 6240 , 6; UFRJ 6241 , 4 (c&s); temporary pools about 5 km S of Ramanso in the road to Clorinda ; V. Etzel & G. Hessfeld, Nov. 2004.

Diagnosis

Distinguished from all other congeners by the possession of short filamentous rays on the distal margin of the dorsal fin in males (vs. filamentous rays absent) and a long supraorbital bar, longer than infraorbital bar (vs. always shorter than infraorbital bar).

Description

Morphometric data appear in Table 6. Males larger than females, largest male examined 41.0 mm SL, largest female 36.9 mm SL. Dorsal profile nearly convex from snout to end of dorsal-fin base, approximately straight on caudal peduncle. Ventral profile convex from lower jaw to end of anal-fin base, nearly straight on caudal peduncle. Greatest body depth at level of pelvic-fin base. Body moderately deep and compressed. Snout blunt and jaws short.

Tip of both dorsal and anal fins rounded; short filamentous rays on distal margin of dorsal fin, sometimes on distal margin of anal fin. Anteromedian rays of anal fin of females not lengthened; distal portion of anal fin thickened in females. Caudal fin rounded. Pectoral fins rounded, posterior margin on vertical through base of 2nd anal-fin ray in males, through pelvic-fin base in females. Tip of each pelvic fin reaching base of 2nd anal-fin ray in males, reaching urogenital papilla in females. Pelvic-fin bases united, sometimes medial margin about 20 % coalesced. Urogenital papilla not attached to anal fin. Dorsal-fin origin usually slightly posterior to anal-fin origin in males, on vertical between base of 1st and 2nd anal-fin rays, or sometimes falling slightly anterior; dorsal-fin origin anterior to anal fin origin in females, anal-fin origin on vertical through base of 2nd dorsal-fin ray; dorsal-fin origin between neural spines of 7th and 9th vertebrae in males, between neural spines of 10th and 12th vertebrae in females. Anal-fin origin between pleural ribs of 6th and 8th vertebrae in males, between pleural ribs of 10th and 11th vertebrae in females. Dorsal-fin rays 20-26 in males, 15-17 in females; anal-fin rays 20 -26 in males, 17-20 in females; caudal-fin rays 24-27; pectoral-fin rays 11-12; pelvicfin rays 5-6.

Scales large and cycloid. Trunk and head fully scaled, except ventral surface of head. No scales on dorsal and anal-fin bases, and two rows of scales on caudal-fin base. Frontal squamation H; E-scales overlapping medially; scales arranged in transverse pattern. Longitudinal series of scales 26, scales regularly arranged; transverse series of scales 13; scale rows around caudal peduncle 16. One contact organ, sometimes 2, on each scale of ventral portion of flanks and opercles in males. Row of minute contact organs on two uppermost pectoral-fin rays in males; no contact organs on unpaired fins.

Cephalic neuromasts: supraorbital 17-18, parietal 2, anterior rostral 1, posterior rostral 1, infraorbital 2-3 + 22-28, preorbital 2, otic 1-4, post-otic 3, supratemporal 1, median opercular 1, ventral opercular 2, preopercular 20-25, mandibular 13-14, lateral mandibular 3-4.

Basihyal subtriangular, width about 70 % of length; basihyal cartilage moderate in length, about 60 % of total basihyal length, with lateral projections. Six branchiostegal rays. Two or three teeth on second pharyngobranchial. Gill-rakers on first branchial arch 4 + 12. Dermosphenotic ossification absent. Ventral process of posttemporal long. Total vertebrae 26-28.

Coloration

Males: sides of body dark green to dark reddish brown, with 3-4 dark bluish gray bars on anterior portion of flanks; sometimes melanophores concentrated on bars forming dark gray spot; vertical rows of white dots on posterior two thirds of flanks. Urogenital papilla dark gray. Opercular and infraorbital region green; black infraorbital and supraorbital bars, supraorbital bar longer. Iris light brown, with dark brown bar through center of eye. Unpaired fins dark gray to black, with white dots. Pectoral fins gray, with black stripe on ventral margin, sometimes extending to middle of dorsal margin of fins. Pelvic fins dark gray.

Females: sides of body light gray, with dark gray rounded spots, sometimes forming short bars above anal fin, spots on anterocentral portion of flanks and caudal peduncle black; venter white. Iris light yellow, with gray bar through center of eye. Dark gray infraorbital and supraorbital bars. Unpaired fins hyaline, with dark gray spots, darker and elongated on basal portion; paired fins hyaline.

Distribution

Río Paraguay basin, southern Paraguay (Fig. 52). Also recorded from northern Argentina ( Calviño, 2005).