Aspidoras carvalhoi Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976

Tencatt, Luiz Fernando Caserta, Britto, Marcelo R., Isbrücker, Isaäc Jan Hendrik & Pavanelli, Carla Simone, 2022, Taxonomy of the armored catfish genus Aspidoras (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) revisited, with the description of a new species, Neotropical Ichthyology (e 220040) 20 (3), pp. 1-159 : 51-53

Aspidoras carvalhoi Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976

( Fig. 27 )

Aspidoras carvalhoi Nijssen & Isbrücker, 1976:117 (original description; type locality: Açude Canabrava , Guaramiranga , Ceará State, Brazil). — Britto, 2000:1054 (listed as comparative material). — Lima, Britto, 2001:1015 (listed as comparative material). — Reis , 2003:292 (listed). — Ferraris , 2007:109 (listed). ‒ Leão et al., 2015:585 (listed as comparative material).— Oliveira et al., 2017:e160118[3], e160118[7] (morphological comparison; listed as comparative material). — Tencatt, Bichuette, 2017:8‒9, 21 (morphological comparison; listed as comparative material).

Conservation status. Aspidoras carvalhoi is currently known only from its type locality, and the only available material of this species are the two type specimens, of which the holotype is in a very poor state of preservation ( Fig. 27 ). As a result, the recognition of this taxon is virtually impossible at the present moment. Considering that there is no information on distribution, population trends, or threats, it is not possible to adequately assess the risk of extinction of the population. According to the

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categories and criteria (IUCN

Standards and Petitions Subcommittee, 2019), Aspidoras carvalhoi can be classified as

Data Deficient (DD).

Remarks. Aspidoras carvalhoi was described based on two specimens from the

Guaramiranga region, Ceará State, Brazil. Contrary to A. rochai , also described from

Guaramiranga (see the “Remarks” section for this species), there is further available data regarding the type locality of A. carvalhoi : Açude Canabrava (or Cana Brava), apparently drained by the Aracoiaba River system. According to Nijssen, Isbrücker (1976:117) ,

this species presents a very reduced pigmentation on body, being described as “almost completely devoid of chromatophores; only a few dark brown isolated minute pigment spots on the lateral scutes, concentrated along or near the posterior edge of the scutes.”.

Apparently, the authors considered this to be the undamaged color pattern of A. carvalhoi ,

using “Body without color pattern” as a diagnostic feature in their identification key

(see p.110). However, considering that these specimens were captured in 1947, nearly

30 years before they were examined by Nijssen, Isbrüecker (1976), it seems more plausible to presume that the color pattern faded after preservation. Since the holotype of A. carvalhoi is severely damaged ( Fig. 27 ) and the original description is insufficiently informative, allied to the fact that no additional specimen from the rio Aracoiaba basin was found, it was not possible to clearly recognize A. carvalhoi . Therefore, we were not able to provide a new diagnosis and redescription of this species, or even include it in the identification key. Despite that, the presence of two cranial fontanels (Nijssen,

Isbrüecker, 1976:126, fig. 16g), absence of contact between nuchal plate and posterior process of the parieto-supraoccipital (p.126, fig. 16g), and pectoral-fin spine serration pattern (p.125, fig. 15h) undoubtedly place this species within Aspidoras .

Material examined. Same as listed by Nijssen, Isbrücker (1976:117).

Figures

FIGURE 27 | Aspidoras carvalhoi, holotype, MNRJ 5230, 25.4 mm SL, açude Canabrava (or Cana Brava), Guaramiranga, Ceará State, Brazil. Lateral view. Photo by Victor de Brito.