Pseudophallus Herald, 1940

Dallevo-Gomes, Caio I. A., Mattox, George M. T. & Toledo-Piza, Mônica, 2020, Taxonomic review of the pipefish genus Pseudophallus Herald, with the description of a new species (Syngnathiformes: Syngnathidae), Zootaxa 4859 (1), pp. 81-112 : 85-86

Pseudophallus Herald, 1940

Pseudophallus Herald, 1940:51 ,

Type species Siphostoma starksii Jordan & Culver in Jordan, 1895, by original designation, gender: masculine.

Diagnosis. Pseudophallus has a single apomorphic diagnostic character that is the presence of a phallus-like anal papilla in sexually mature females ( Figure 2 ). The following combination of characters also aids to distinguish the genus: pregnant males with dermal folds of the brood pouch curving from the lateral of the bony rings and encasing the brood pouch towards its midline, dividing the pouch in two longitudinal halves (= inverted brood pouch closure type, Herald, 1959: fig. 1); superior trunk ridge extending posteriorly to dorsal fin, lateral trunk ridge continuous with superior tail ridge, inferior trunk ridge continuous with inferior tail ridge ( Herald, 1959: fig. 3; Dawson, 1982: fig. 2); body ridges usually distinct and elevated, sometimes inferior trunk and tail ridges rounded and indistinct; anal fin absent ( Herald, 1940).

Distribution. Freshwater drainages along the Atlantic coast of South and Central America from the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina to Belize, including the Caribbean islands; and along the Pacific coast from Ecuador to Mexico.

Figures

FIGURE 2: Species of the genus Pseudophallus: A—Pseudophallus brasiliensis (paratype) USNM 212058, 69.1 mm SL, Igarapé Inó, Furo de Panaquera, Rio Tocantins, Pará, Brazil. B—Pseudophallus elcapitanensis MCZ 88623, 110.6 mm SL, Río Picuro, Darien, Panama. C—Pseudophallus mindii (holotype) USNM 81770, 90.3 mm SL, Mindi Creek, Canal Zone, Panama. D—Pseudophallus starksii USNM 208365, 171.1 mm SL, upper tributary of Río Jaque, Província de Darien, Panama. E—Pseudophallus galadrielae. (holotype) FMNH 126156, 63.1mm SL, Lago Izabal, Guatemala. Red arrow indicates the anal papilla.