A journey through the Amazon Middle Earth reveals Aspidoras azaghal (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae), a new species of armoured catfish from the rio Xingu basin, Brazil.

Aspidoras azaghal n. sp. was discovered during a multitaxonomic scientific expedition to the remote Amazon Terra do Meio region in tributaries to the rio Xingu basin, Pará, Brazil. The new species can be promptly distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of features: (a) absence of the first dorsal-fin element; (b) parieto-supraoccipital fontanel located medially on bone; (c) absence of a longitudinal dark-brown or black stripe along flank midline; (d) ventral surface of trunk covered by clearly smaller, irregular and/or roundish platelets; (e) inner laminar expansion of infraorbital 1 well developed; (f) relatively wide frontal bone, with width equal to half of entire length; (g) absence of a thick, longitudinal conspicuous dark-brown stripe along dorsal portion of flank; and (h) poorly developed serrations on posterior margin of the pectoral-fin spine. Besides morphological evidence, the molecular analyses indicated significant differences between the new species and its congeners, with A. albater and A. raimundi as its closest species, showing 6.53% of genetic differentiation in both cases. The intraspecific molecular data revealed gene flow (peer fixation index, FST = 0.05249, P > 0.05, for the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) marker and FST = -0.01466, P > 0.05, for the control region) between specimens upstream and downstream from a 30-m height waterfall at the type-locality, which therefore represent a single population. Furthermore, it was possible to observe a unidirectional gene flow pattern, with genetic diversity increasing in the downstream direction.

Phylogeography of Baryancistrus xanthellus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), a rheophilic catfish endemic to the Xingu River basin in eastern Amazonia.

Baryancistrus xanthellus (Loricariidae) is an endemic fish species from the Xingu River basin with its life history in the shallow rapid waters flowing over bedrock substrates. In order to investigate the genetic diversity and demographic history of B. xanthellus we analyzed sequence data for one mitochondrial gene (Cyt b) and introns 1 and 5 of nuclear genes Prolactin (Prl) and Ribosomal Protein L3 (RPL3). The analyses contain 358 specimens of B. xanthellus from 39 localities distributed throughout its range. The number of genetically diverged groups was estimated using Bayesian inference on Cyt b haplotypes. Haplotype networks, AMOVA and pairwise fixation index was used to evaluate population structure and gene flow. Historical demography was inferred through neutrality tests and the Extended Bayesian Skyline Plot (EBSP) method. Five longitudinally distributed Cyt b haplogroups for B. xanthellus were identified in the Xingu River and its major tributaries, the Bacajá and Iriri. The demographic analysis suggests that rapids habitats have expanded in the Iriri and Lower Xingu rivers since 200 ka (thousand years) ago. This expansion is possibly related to an increase in water discharge as a consequence of higher rainfall across eastern Amazonia. Conversely, this climate shift also would have promoted zones of sediment trapping and reduction of rocky habitats in the Xingu River channel upstream of the Iriri River mouth. Populations of B. xanthellus showed strong genetic structure along the free-flowing river channels of the Xingu and its major tributaries, the Bacajá and Iriri. The recent impoundment of the Middle Xingu channel for the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam may isolate populations at the downstream limit of the species distribution. Therefore, future conservation plans must consider the genetic diversity of B. xanthellus throughout its range.

New species of Anacanthorus (Dactylogyridae: Anacanthorinae) from the gills of Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus and Erythrinus erythrinus (Characiformes: Erythrinidae) of the coastal drainage in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil.

Species of Anacanthorus are described from the gills of Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus and Erythrinus erythrinus of drainage systems in the Northeastern Pará State, Brazil. Anacanthorus scyphophallus sp. n. has a male copulatory organ (MCO) with two small flaps in the distal portion; hooks with proximal shank dilatation comprising ½ of the shank length. Anacanthorus ataidei sp. n. has an elongated MCO, with ribbon-like ornaments; hooks without proximal shank dilatation. Anacanthorus siphonocommus sp. n. has an MCO with aculeiform ornaments in the distal portion; hooks with proximal dilatation in the shank comprising ½ of the shank length. Anacanthorus maratininguensis sp. n. has an MCO with a small projection in the form of a hook in the distal region; hooks with proximal dilatation comprising ½ of the shank length. Anacanthorus lacinimentulatus sp. n. has an MCO with extrovert flap skirting its distal region; shank of hooks with proximal dilatation comprising ½ of the total shank length. Anacanthorus cururutuiensis sp. n. presents an MCO with flexed lateral flap in the distal region; hooks with proximal dilatation in the shank comprising » of the shank length. Anacanthorus circumspatulatus sp. n. has an MCO with ornaments in the form of pointed and interleaved blades; hooks with proximal shank dilatation comprising approximately ½ of the shank length. Anacanthorus acrophallus sp. n. has MCO with a small pointed sinistral flap; hooks with proximal dilatation in the shank comprising 1/3 of the shank length. The host-parasite diversity scenario and specificity of Anacanthorus species regarding their characiform hosts are also discussed in this study.

The past and present of an estuarine-resident fish, the "four-eyed fish" Anableps anableps (Cyprinodontiformes, Anablepidae), revealed by mtDNA sequences.

Historical events, such as changes in sea level during the Pleistocene glacial cycles, had a strong impact on coastal habitats, limiting connectivity and promoting the genetic divergence of various species. In this study, we evaluated the influence of climate oscillations and the possibility of estuary function as a barrier to gene flow among populations of the four-eyed fish, Anableps anableps. This species is fully estuarine-resident, has internal fertilization, is viviparous and does not migrate across long distances. These features make the four-eyed fish an excellent model for the study of evolutionary processes related to genetic differentiation of species and populations in estuaries. The evolutionary history of A. anableps was inferred from phylogeographic and population analyses using sequences of the mitochondrial DNA Control Region of 13 populations distributed in the Amazon and Northeast Coast of Brazil from Calcoene (Amapa) to Parnaiba (Piaui). The 83 retrieved haplotypes show a pattern of four distinct mitochondrial lineages, with up to 3.4% nucleotide divergence among them. The evolutionary reconstruction suggests that these lineages diverged recently in the late Pleistocene/early Holocene after the Atlantic Ocean reaching current levels. Analysis of variability, neutrality and the genetic expansion pattern revealed that the lineages have distinct characteristics, which were shaped by the different geomorphological features of coastal regions combined with sea level oscillations over a very long period of time. Only few neighboring populations show a discreet gene flow. This study may also be helpful for designing new experiments to better understand the geomorphological evolutionary history of the estuaries of the Amazon and the Northeast Coast of Brazil using estuarine-resident species as a model.