Australoheros

An, Old Ř Ich Ř Í Č & Kullander, Sven O., 2008, The Australoheros (Teleostei: Cichlidae) species of the Uruguay and Paraná River drainages, Zootaxa 1724, pp. 1-51 : 3

Key to the Australoheros species from the Rio Uruguay drainage and adjacent areas

We have chosen to use only readily accessible external characters, even though some characters visible only on x-rays, as the numbers of caudal vertebrae or the number of vertebrae included in the caudal peduncle, are good diagnostic characters. Some of the characters used in the key are color and coloration pattern characters, which will work only for adult specimens (at least 50 mm SL). For this reason we have based the key mostly around meristic characters which are more stable in respect to size/age.

1a. 8–9 anal fin spines, 17 dorsal fin spines, dark blotches on operculum, suboperculum, posterior part of head, a row of spots in the anterior part of the E4 scale row (above the anterior part of the upper lateral line), spotted unpaired fins, three abdominal bars, 6 ceratobranchial gill rakers, body rounded, ground color yellowish ................................................................................. A. scitulus (Ř íčan & Kullander, 2003)

1b. 6–7 anal fin spines, 16 dorsal fin spines ..................................................................................................... 2

2a. 6 ceratobranchial gill rakers, mouth isognathous, midlateral blotch not well circumscribed and hidden in a midlateral stripe (but in smaller individuals very distinct), well developed caudal spot, four abdominal bars, all bars very distinct, modally 12 pectoral fin rays, ground color yellowish, breeding males pinkish