Leporinus enyae, Burns & Chatfield & Birindelli & Sidlauskas, 2017

Burns, Michael D., Chatfield, Marcus, Birindelli, José L. O. & Sidlauskas, Brian L., 2017, Systematic assessment of the Leporinus desmotes species complex, with a description of two new species, Neotropical Ichthyology 15 (2), No. e 160166, pp. 1-24 : 13-16

Leporinus enyae , new species

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CAA2CAE9-51F4-4731-841D-2DF2AB7B664D

Leporinus desmotes . - Mago-Leccia 1970:76 ( Venezuela).-Mojica, 1999: (Orinoco in Colombia). - Lasso et al., 2004:1 (Orinoco, Río Negro). - Bogotá-Gregory, Maldonado-Ocampo, 2006:63 (Orinoco basin in Colombia). -Maldonado-Ocampo et al., 2006:6 (río Tomo, Orinoco basin, Colombia). -Maldonado- Ocampo et al., 2008:156 (Orinoco basin in Colombia). - Lasso et al., 2009: río Atabapo, in Venezuela; usage as ornamental and food resource).

Holotype. MCNG 56681 (ex ANSP 200287 ), 1, 145.5 mm SL, Venezuela, Amazonas, río Iguapo , ca. 1 hour above the mouth, 03°08’59”N 65°28’00”W, 13 Mar 1987, H. López et al.

Paratypes. Brazil. INPA 3180 , 67.7 mm SL, Amazonas, São Gabriel da Cachoeira, rio Uaupés , tributary of rio Negro , below Cachoeira Ipanoré , 00°17’28”N 68°39’30”W, 9 Dec 1989, L. Rapp Py-Daniel & M. Jégu . INPA 4930 , 2 , 161.8 - 163.8 mm SL, Amazonas, São Gabriel da Cachoeira, rio Negro at Ilha do Acará , 00°9’16”S 66°53’43”W, 12 Feb 1991, M. Jégu . INPA 43068 , 1, 137.6 mm SL, Amazonas, São Gabriel da Cachoeira, rio Negro at Cachoeira Buburi , 00°08’38”S 67°05’19”S, 9 Dec 2013, D. Bastos et al . Venezuela. ANSP 158265 , 3 , 56.2-65.8 mm SL, Bolivar, Caño feeding río Caura near confluence of río Orinoco , 07°37’48”N 64°50’42”W, 22 Nov 1985, B. Chernoff et al . ANSP 161712 , 10 , 102.2 - 175.15 mm SL, collected with holotype . ANSP 190754 , Amazonas, río Ventuari, tributary of río Orinoco, at Raudales Chipirito , 04°04’06”N 66°54’13”W, 1 Apr 2010, M. H. Sabaj Perez et al . ANSP 159363 , 1 , 96.1 mm SL, Amazonas, Puerto Ayacucho, Raudales de Atures, at Culebra , 05°35’N 67°31’W, 11 Nov 1985, W. G. Saul et al . AUM 40992, 1, 136.71 mm SL, Amazonas, San Juan de Manapiare, río Parcucito, at Raudales Salomon , 05°20’46”N 66°02’00”W, 16 Apr 2004, D. C. Werneke et al . AUM 43123, 2 , 72.8-80.9 mm SL, Amazonas, San Fernando de Atabapo, río Orinoco, at Pasaganado , 03°17’23”N 66°36’00”W, 29 Mar 2005, N. K. Lujan et al . AUM 43657, 1, 100.6 mm SL, Amazonas, San Carlos de Rio Negro, rio Negro , 01°55’14”N 67°03’48”W, 19 Mar 2005, D. C. Werneke et al . AUM 43700, 1, 100.6 mm SL, Amazonas, río Casiquiare, left bank upstream from mouth of Siapa , 02°09’20”N 66°27’49”W, 19-22 Mar 2005, N. K. Lujan et al . AUM 44008, 1 , 66.6 mm SL, Amazonas, La Esmeralda, río Orinoco , 03°17’23”N 66°36’00”W, 29 Mar 2005, N. K. Lujan et al . AUM 53542, 1, 103.16 mm SL, Amazonas, San Fernando de Atabapo, río Orinoco, at Paso Ganado , 04°23’03”N 67°46’29”W, 27 Mar 2010, N. K. Lujan et al . AUM 53793, 1 , 80.3 mm SL, Bolivar, río Caura, at Raudales la Union , 07°02’37”N 64°57’40”W, 25 Apr 2010, N. K. Lujan et al . AUM 53954, 1, 181.41 mm SL, Amazonas, Puerto Ayacucho, Caño Yurebita , 04°03’07”N 66°25’25”W, 15 Apr 2010, N. K. Lujan et al . AUM 54405, 1 , 74.3 mm SL, Amazonas, San Fernando de Atabapo, río Ventuari confluence with río Orinoco , 03°58’42”N 67°03’37”W, 29 Mar 2010, N. K. Lujan et al . CAS 20170, 1 , 84.1 mm SL, Amazonas, San Fernando de Atabapo, río Atabapo, tributary of río Orinoco , 7 Apr 1925, C. Ternetz . MZUEL 17001 , 1 sk, 169.0 mm SL, Amazonas, Caño Yurukita, tributary of río Ventuari , 04°13’07’N 66°25’26”W, J. L. Birindelli et al., 15 Apr 2010 . MZUSP 105826 , 1 sk, 185.0 mm SL, Amazonas, Caño Yurukita, tributary of río Ventuari , 04°13’07’N 66°25’26”W, J. L. Birindelli et al., 15 Apr 2010 . OS 20076 (ex ANSP 161712 ), 2, 102.1- 126.2 mm SL, collected with holotype . ROM 95359 (ex ANSP 161712 ), 125.1 mm SL, collected with holotype .

Diagnosis. Leporinus enyae can be separated from all other members of Leporinus except Leporinus desmotes , L. jatuncochi , and L. villasboasorum by possession of long, pointed, laterally compressed and upward curving symphyseal dentary teeth, versus the more truncate conical or incisiform teeth typical of other members of Leporinus , and from Leporinus bleheri , L. desmotes , L. jatuncochi , L. villasboasorum , and L. yophorus by a color pattern consisting of nine dark bars on the head and body, some of which fork dorsally or ventrally, the fifth of which continues onto the dorsal and pelvic fins, versus various other color patterns in the approximately 90 other described species of Leporinus . It separates most easily from Leporinus jatuncochi and some specimens of L. desmotes by the possession of 16, versus 14 circumpeduncular scales. It separates from Leporinus villasboasorum and specimens of Leporinus desmotes with 16 circumpeduncular scales by having the dark bar immediately anterior of the dorsal fin undivided or barely divided dorsally, versus well-divided dorsally.

Description. Holotype and paratype meristic values in Tab. 3, morphometric values in Tab. 6. Body fusiform, elongate, slightly compressed, deepest and widest at dorsal origin. Very slight keel between dorsal insertion and supraoccipital crest, all other margins of body gently rounded. Caudal peduncle compressed and slightly longer than its depth. Head conical, compressed slightly dorsally and more so ventrally. Lateral profile of head straight and inclined. Anterior profile of head forming rounded point. Head broadest at posterior margin of opercle part of head. Eye round and laterally placed. Anterior nostril tubular, flared at distal end, positioned just anterior of first black transverse bar and overhanging upper lip slightly. Posterior nostril a sharply upturned slit positioned slightly posterior of anterior nostril at angle paralleling lateral profile of the head. Mouth small and subterminal. Lips fleshy and thick with deeply-cleft lamellae. Upper lip with two series of lamellae of which outer longer than inner. Bottom lip with two or more series of lamellae, outermost terminating on either side with deep-cleft narrow fleshy lobe. Inner series irregular in pattern and much shorter than series on upper lip or of outer series of bottom lip. Teeth three on each premaxilla, all broader than dentary teeth and slightly spoon shaped, pointed and jutting slightly anteriorly, with lateral teeth on each side smaller than medial teeth. Teeth three on each dentary with lateral teeth much smaller than symphyseal. Symphyseal dentary teeth long, pointed, laterally compressed and upward curving. Gill openings restricted. Opercle and preopercle smooth, with opercular flap pronounced and extending posteriorly from operculum. Four branchiostegal rays on each side.

Scales almost uniformly large with only slightly smaller scales in predorsal and ventral regions. Lateral line well defined, complete and straight with simple well-defined tubes. Pointed sheath scale twice as long as fin base on pelvic, starting at pelvic-fin origin and pointing posteriorly. Dorsal-fin origin located about halfway between snout tip and adipose-fin origin. Pelvic-fin insertion located at vertical through origin of third branched dorsal-fin ray. Adipose-fin origin located at vertical through origin of third branched anal-fin ray. Distal end of posterior branched anal-fin ray located at vertical through caudal peduncle. All fins sharply falcate. First unbranched fin ray about half as long as first branched fin ray, with first branched fin ray being the longest, on both dorsal- and anal-fins. Caudalfin deeply forked. Vent located anteriorly of anal-fin origin about one-third the distance between anal-fin origin and pelvic-fin insertion.

Coloration in alcohol. Pale white to brownish with nine well-defined dark black transverse bars which, on bars posterior to the dorsal-fin origin, meet dorsally and ventrally to form bands encircling head and trunk. First bar at snout, second at eye, third at opercle, and remaining six on trunk. Bars on main body sloping slightly toward posterior from dorsal to ventral. Head with one dark bar on snout, starting just posterior of origin of anterior tubular nostril and extending to just anterior of eye, with faint connections to the second dark bar extending at a slight posterior slope above and below posterior nostril. Head with second dark bar on dorsal and lateral surfaces of head, located on interorbital and infraorbital region, about twothirds width of eye and centered on eye, with no connections to third dark bar. Trunk with seven dark bars. First dark bar on trunk encompasses operculum but does not extend onto branchiostegals or isthmus, with black only occurring in space between the pectoral-fins ventrally. Second dark bar is located anterior of dorsal-fin origin and is often distinctly forked below the midway point between lateral line and ventral surface of body. Occasionally second dark bar slightly forked above lateral line at midway point between lateral line and dorsal surface of the body. Third dark bar includes entire dorsal base, anterior dorsal-fin rays and entire pelvic-fin except first unbranched fin ray. Fourth dark bar begins just posterior to dorsal-fin insertion and lies midway between pelvic insertion and anal origin and does not include vent. Fifth dark bar lies anterior of adipose-fin and extends ventrally to include first three rays of anal-fin. Sixth dark band begins at adipose insertion and extends to include caudal peduncle and posterior half of anal-fin as well as the distal two-thirds of adipose. Seventh dark bar includes caudal base with no intrusion of color onto caudal-fin rays.

Lips generally whitish with faint darkening of dorsal margin of upper lip and dark black on both sides of upper lip. Fleshy lobes on both sides of lower lip dark black. Dark pigmentation on snout tip and dorsal margin of maxilla, extending posteriorly to vertical through posterior margin of outer fleshy lamellae of lower lip. Pigmentation on upper lip connects faintly to dark bar through nares with only slight lightening in color of space between. Iris greyblack. Fins whitish except where noted. Ventral portion of head whitish.

Coloration in life. Pale yellow to brownish dorsally. Coloration and pattern of bars otherwise similar to that described in preservative. Lips dark black with ventral portion of lower lip appearing lighter in color. Fins generally light in color with dark pigmentation occurring near bars on the body.

Geographical distribution. Leporinus enyae occurs throughout the southern tributaries of the Orinoco river drainage in Venezuela, including the Ventuari, Parcucito, Atabapo, and Caura rivers, and in the upper Negro River in Brazil and Venezuela, and in the Casiquiare canal, which connects the Negro and Orinoco rivers ( Fig. 9).

Etymology. Named in honor of the singer Enya, whose beautiful song “Orinoco Flow” celebrates the flow of the mighty Orinoco River, which the new species inhabits. A noun in the genitive case.

Conservation status. Leporinus enyae is relatively frequent and abundant in the Orinoco River basin. It is widespread throughout the 880,000 km 2 of the Orinoco River basin and the species can be categorized as Least Concern (LC) according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categories and criteria ( IUCN Standards and Petitions Subcommittee, 2016).