Batrachocephalus Bleeker, 1846

Marceniuk, Alexandre Pires, Oliveira, Claudio & Ferraris Jr, Carl J., 2024, A new classification of the family Ariidae (Osteichthyes: Ostariophysi: Siluriformes) based on combined analyses of morphological and molecular data, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 200 (2), pp. 426-476 : 454

Batrachocephalus Bleeker, 1846

( Figs 1–3 , 26 )

Type species: Batrachocephalus ageneiosus Bleeker, 1846 .

Diagnosis

Mesethmoid median portion very wide (2, 0> 2); nasal fan shaped (19, 0> 2); posterior cranial fontanel absent (26, 1> 0); epiphyseal bar indistinct (28, 0> 1); sphenotic long and narrow (35, 1> 0); posterior portion of anterior ceratohyal columnar and very thick (151, 0> 1); posterior ceratohyal long (153, 0> 1); anterior margin of urohyal not notched (154, 0> 1); second dorsal cleithral process posteriorly directed and parallel to posterior process (226, 1> 0); maxillary barbel absent (234, 0> 1).

Ambiguous optimization: Anteroventral portion of opercle subtriangular (127, 2> 3).

Included species

Batrachocephalus mino Hamilton, 1822 .

Habitat and distribution: Brackish and marine waters, South and Southeast Asia ( Fig. 24 ).

Remarks

The MP analysis of the data matrix corroborates previous morphological studies ( Marceniuk and Menezes 2007, Marceniuk et al. 2012), both in terms of species composition and the relationship of Batrachocephalus with Ketengus plus Osteogeneiosus , which contrasts with the hypothesis of Kailola (2004),

Figures

Figure 1. MP analysis.Subfamilies (SF) Galeichthyinae (pink), Bagreinae (bright blue), and Ariinae (dark blue). Tribe (T) Ariini (blue), Cathopsini (orange), Genidentini tribe nov. (brown), and Sciadeini tribe nov. (light green).Subtribe (ST) Ariina (light blue) and Doiichthyina (green). Incertae sedis taxa (IS) (red). Numbers over branches correspond to the bootstrap support.

Figure 2. ML analysis. Subfamilies (SF) Galeichthyinae (pink), Bagreinae (bright blue), and Ariinae (dark blue). Tribe (T) Ariini (blue), Cathopsini (orange), Genidentini tribe nov. (brown), and Sciadeini tribe nov. (light green). Subtribe (ST) Ariina (light blue) and Doiichthyina (green). Incertae sedis taxa (IS) (red). Numbers over branches correspond to the bootstrap support.

Figure 3. BI analysis.Subfamilies (SF) Galeichthyinae (pink), Bagreinae (bright blue), and Ariinae (dark blue). Tribe (T) Ariini (blue), Cathopsini (orange), Genidentini tribe nov. (brown), and Sciadeini tribe nov. (light green).Subtribe (ST) Ariina (light blue) and Doiichthyina (green). Incertae sedis taxa (IS) (red). Numbers over branches correspond to the bootstrap support.

Figure 24. Representative skulls, in dorsal view, and distribution of the subtribe Ariina.A, Arius maculatus, AUM 44875. B, Cephalocassis melanochir, CAS 49426. C, Cryptarius truncatus, AUM 50243. D, Hexanematichthys sagor, AUM 50242. E, Kyataphisa nenga, AUM 46280. F, Osteogeneiosus militaris, AUM 44880. G, Pseudosciades sona, AUM 44861. * marine, ** brackish water, *** freshwater.

Figure 26. Batrachocephalus mino, FMNH 68052 (senior synonym of Batrachocephalus ageneiosus), Indo-West Pacific, type species of the genus.