Astyanax, Baird & Girard

Mirande, Juan Marcos, 2010, Phylogeny of the family Characidae (Teleostei: Characiformes): from characters to taxonomy, Neotropical Ichthyology 8 (3), pp. 385-568 : 514-515

Node 267: Astyanax clade (-9 / 95 / – / 3)

Genera Astyanax , Ctenobrycon ?, Markiana Eigenmann , and Psellogrammus ; Hyphessobrycon anisitsi and other Hyphessobrycon ?

This node would require a subfamilial category according to the hypothesis herein proposed. However, given the relatively low taxon sampling and some variations obtained under different searches, an informal provisional name is given to this clade, pending specific contributions. According to this analysis, this clade is composed of the genera Astyanax , Markiana , and Psellogrammus , plus some species currently classified in the genus Hyphessobrycon . The internal relationships of this clade, however indicate that all species of this node should be transferred to Astyanax . According to the classical systematics of the family ( Eigenmann, 1917), Hyphessobrycon differs from Astyanax only by having an interrupted lateral line. Both Hyphessobrycon anisitsi as H. bifasciatus and H. luetkenii , treated above, are not related with the rosy tetra clade nor even included in the Tetragonopterinae in the present hypothesis. Some species of Hyphessobrycon not included in this paper, such as H. auca Almirón, Casciotta, Bechara & Ruiz-Díaz and H. boulengeri (Eigenmann) share certain overall resemblances with species of this clade and the Hyphessobrycon luetkenii clade, but not sufficient to include them in some clade, even putatively. According to its traditional definition, Ctenobrycon is only distinguished from Psellogrammus by the presence of a complete lateral line and both genera share the presence of ctenoid scales ( Eigenmann, 1917). Lima et al. (2003) listed Tetragonopterus correntinus Holmberg and Astyanax pelegrini as species inquirendae within Ctenobrycon . These species lack ctenoid scales, and were included in Astyanax by Mirande et al. (2006b). Both A. correntinus and A. pelegrini are included in this clade, while Ctenobrycon is listed with a question mark as a probable member of the clade.

Synapomorphy:

1. Number of maxillary teeth (135): (1> 0) only one, or absent. Paralleled in nodes 284 and 290 and in Aulixidens eugeniae , Cheirodon interruptus , Coptobrycon bilineatus , Hyphessobrycon bifasciatus , and Iguanodectes geisleri . Some trees: Paralleled in Hasemania nana , Paracheirodon axelrodi , and Parecbasis cyclolepis .