Charax tectifer (Cope, 1870)

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 : 223-225

Charax tectifer (Cope, 1870)

Fig. 26

Anacyrtus tectifer Cope, 1870: 565 [original description, type locality: Ecuador, Pebas (actually Pebas, Peru)]. -Böhlke, 1984: 55 (listed in type catalog).

Hydrolicus copei Gill, 1870: 266 (original description, type locality: río Marañon or río Napo, Amazon system, Peru or Ecuador). - Vari & Howe, 1991: 26 (listed in type catalog). -Toledo Piza et al., 1999: 256 [synonym of Charax tectifer (Cope, 1870) ].

Anacyrtus sanguineus Cope , 1872: 266 (original description, type locality: Peru, ríoAmbyiacu). - Böhlke, 1984: 53 (listed in type catalog). - Fowler, 1907: 453 (lectotype designation). - Lucena & Menezes, 2003: 202 [synonym of Charax tectifer (Cope, 1870) ] .

Moralesia tectifer . -Fowler, 1943: 96 ( Peru; original description).

Moralesicus tectifera . -Fowler, 1958: 9. -Ortega & Vari, 1986: 91 ( Peru, listed).

Charax (Moralesia) tectifer tectifer . -Géry & Vu-Tan-Tuê, 1963: 243 (diagnostic characters in key).

Charax tectifer . -Lucena, 1987: 60 (diagnosis; description; distribution; geographic variation). -Lucena, 1989: 104 (in key to species; Chang & Ortega, 1995: 5 ( Peru, listed). - Lucena & Menezes, 2003: 202 (maximum length; distribution).

Diagnosis. Charax tectifer differs from congeners except C. delimai , C. metae , some specimens of C. gibbosus , C. rupununi , and C. condei in bearing teeth on the ectopterygoid. Charax tectifer differs from C. condei in having the lateral line complete (versus incomplete) and from Charax gibbosus and C. rupununi in having the anal-fin origin along, or slightly posterior to, the vertical through the dorsalfin origin (vs. anterior to the dorsal-fin origin). Charax tectifer can be distinguished from C. delimai and C. metae by the absence (vs. presence) of the superficial neuromasts on body scales present in those two species ( Figs. 1 and 2 ).

Description. Morphometrics of examined specimens presented in Table 15. Body elongate, moderately large (38-

94 mm SL), compressed and moderately deep. Greatest body depth slightly in advance of dorsal-fin origin. Dorsal profile of head and body convex from tip of snout to anterior region of fontanel, concave from that point to base of supraoccipital spine, convex from that point to dorsal-fin origin, nearly straight along dorsal-fin base and straight to slightly convex 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 slightly 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 vertical through posterior border of orbit.

Dorsal-fin rays ii, 9 in all specimens, posterior most ray unbranched. Adipose fin present. Unbranched anal-fin rays iv or v, usually iv, branched rays 38-43, 40.3. Anterior anal-fin rays not bearing bilateral hooks in examined mature males. Pectoral-fin rays i, 12-16, 13.8. Tips of longest pectoral-fin rays reaching about to vertical through middle of pelvic fin length. Pelvic-fin rays i, 7. No hooks on pelvic-fin rays of all adult males examined. Tips of longest pelvic-fin rays reaching slightly beyond vertical through anal-fin origin. Principal caudal-fin ray count 10/ 9 in all specimens.

Lateral line complete; perforated scales 50-56, 53.6. Horizontal scale rows from dorsal-fin origin to lateral line 13- 14, 13.4. Horizontal scale rows from pelvic-fin origin to lateral line 9-10, 9.5. Horizontal scale rows from anal-fin origin to lateral line 11-13, 12.3. Predorsal scales 29-37, 32.8. Scale rows around caudal peduncle 19-21, 19.5. One scale row along analfin base, extending for about two thirds of its length.

Premaxillary with one anterior canine-like tooth followed by set of smaller conical teeth and another canine-like tooth followed by one or two small conical teeth. Total number of premaxillary teeth 11-17, 13.5. Maxillary teeth conical, 34-54, 44.3. Dentary with one canine-like tooth followed by 3-7, 4.5 conical teeth, another canine-like tooth and posterior row of 18-25, 20.7 conical teeth. Left ectopterygoid bone with 3-14, 7.7, right with 2-14 conical teeth. Total number of ectopterygoid teeth 5-25, 15.2. Vertebrae 33 and 34 (2). Gill-rakers on lower limb of first gill-arch 9-10, (9.3). 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 ventrally. Dark chromatophores mostly concentrated on basal portions of scales leaving posterior borders and creating alternating pattern of longitudinal dark and light spots along body. Lateral and ventral portions of body lighter. Dorsal portion of head, snout and tip of lower jaw darker, dark coloration extending over anterior part of maxilla, first and second infraorbitals and between latter bone and anterior border of third infraorbital and defining conspicuous subocular blotch extending ventrally to ventral border of third infraorbital. Remaining portion of third infraorbital, fourth, fifth and sixth infraorbitals, opercle, subopercle and interopercle with scattered dark chromatophores. Irregularly shaped dark humeral blotch, much closer to dorsal-fin origin than to posterior border of opercle; extending two or three scales vertically and horizontally. Dark midlateral stripe extending from humeral blotch to caudal base where it joins oval-shaped dark blotch extending to basal portions of central caudal-fin rays. Vshaped darker lines of chromatophores follow miosepta between musculature. Anal fin with faint basal dark stripe separated by light stripe from wider dark marginal dark stripe. Pelvic and pectoral fins hyaline with very few scattered dark chromatophores. Dorsal and caudal fins hyaline with scattered dark chromatophores mostly located on interradial membranes.

Distribution. Charax tectifer is known from the río Ucayali and río Tambo systems, Peru, rivers from the río Amazonas drainage in Colombia, and río Napo system, Ecuador ( Fig. 7 ).

Remarks. No significant statistical differences in meristics and morphometrics and no differences in other morphological features were found among the samples from Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Figures

Fig. 26. Charax tectifer, MUSM 38670, male, 85 mm SL, Peru, Satipo, río Tambo, Quebrada Pukakunga.

Fig. 1. Superficial neuromasts (black arrows) on lateral body scales of Charax delimai, male (a), MZUSP 81325, paratype, 102 mm SL, Brazil, Amazonas, igarapé Umari, tributary of rio Tiquié in community of São Pedro and female, (b), MZUSP 84988, paratype, 102 mm SL, Brazil, Amazonas, near old community of São Pedro.

Fig. 2. Superficial neuromasts (black arrow) on ventral body scales of Charax metae, CAS 69117, 59 mm SL.

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.