Cathorops Jordan & Gilbert, 1883

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 : 437-439

Cathorops Jordan & Gilbert, 1883

MP 100, BI 1, ML 100

( Figs 1–3 , 9A – 10 )

Arius hypophthalmus Steindachner, 1876 .

Diagnosis

Posterior branches of mesethmoid narrow (6, 0> 1); posterior branches of mesethmoid parallel throughout their entire extension (7, 0> 1); frontal as main component of bony bridge formed by lateral ethmoid and frontal (15, 0> 2); fenestra delimited by lateral ethmoid and frontal very large (17, 1> 2); epioccipital contacting both diagonal and transversal crests associated with neural spine of fourth vertebra (44, 0> 1); accessory tooth plates small, vertically oval (60, 2> 3); otic capsules weakly differentiated (69, 0> 1); anterior margin of subvertebral process keeled (81, 0> 1); basioccipital lateral process very long (84, 0> 1); transcapular process depressed (88, 0> 1); premaxilla narrow and very long, its length two to three times in width (120, 1> 2); anteroventral portion of opercle subtrapezoidal, very short (127, 1> 2); anteroventral margin of opercle concave or almost straight (128, 0> 1); posterior margin of interopercle straight and inclined (130, 0> 1); anterior portion of interopercle compressed and bifurcate (132, 0> 1); metapterygoid anterior process rounded (138, 0> 2); ventral crest of hyomandibula absent (142, 0> 1); second external branchiostegal ray almost as wide as first ray (148, 0> 1); anterior portion of anterior ceratohyal compressed (150, 0> 1); anterior margin of urohyal not notched (154, 0> 1); posterolateral processes of urohyal short (160, 1> 0); transverse crest associated with neural spine of fourth vertebra very high (200, 0> 1); median crest associated with neural spine of fourth vertebra very high (202, 0> 1); general aspect of superficial ventral ossification of Weberian ossification regularly arched (211, 0> 1); 18 or fewer precaudal vertebrae (215, 1> 0); second dorsal cleithral process dorsally directed and parallel to first dorsal process (226, 0> 1).

Ambiguous optimization: Temporal fossa very reduced (39, 1> 0); anterior margin of otolith markedly irregular, concave (71,?> 3); anterior opening of aortic canal within base of subvertebral process and anteriorly oriented (77,?> 2); ventral tip of subvertebral process spatulate (80,?> 3).

Included species

Cathorops agassizii (Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1888) Cathorops aguadulce (Meek, 1904)

Cathorops arenatus (Valenciennes, 1840)

Cathorops belizensis Marceniuk & Betancur-R., 2008 * Cathorops dasycephalus ( Günther, 1864)

Cathorops festae (Boulenger, 1898)

Cathorops fuerthii (Steindachner, 1876)

Cathorops higuchii Marceniuk & Betancur-R., 2008 Cathorops hypophthalmus (Steindachner, 1876) Cathorops kailolae Marceniuk & Betancur-R., 2008 * Cathorops liropus (Bristol, 1897) *

Cathorops manglarensis Marceniuk, 2007

Cathorops mapale Betancur-R. & Acero P., 2005 Cathorops melanopus ( Günther, 1864) *

Cathorops multiradiatus ( Günther, 1864)

Cathorops nuchalis ( Günther, 1864) *

Cathorops raredonae Marceniuk , Betancur-R. & Acero P., 2009 Cathorops spixii (Agassiz, 1829) *

Cathorops steindachneri (Gilbert & Starks, 1904)

Cathorops taylori (Hildebrand, 1925)

Cathorops tuyra ( Meek & Hildebrand, 1923)

Cathorops wayuu Betancur-R., Acero P. & Marceniuk, 2012.

Habitat and distribution: Fresh and brackish waters, eastern and western Central and South America ( Fig. 9 ).

Remarks

The monophyly Cathorops has been shown to be well supported in previous studies (Betancur-R. et al. 2007, Marceniuk and Menezes 2007, Betancur-R. 2009, Marceniuk et al. 2012), but there is no consensus regarding their relationships in previous morphological and molecular studies (Betancur-R. et al. 2007, Betancur-R. 2009, Marceniuk et al. 2012). Results of the total-evidence analysis corroborates the monophyly of Cathorops and its sister group relationship with Notarius (including Aspistor ), as postulated in previous molecular studies.

Within Cathorops , species share a suite of molecular and morphological characters not found in the species of Cathorops dasycephalus . The total-evidence hypothesis presented above places Cathorops dasycephalus as the sister group to all remaining Cathorops , and was assigned to a separate subgenus Cathorops (Precathorops) Betancur-R. & Acero P. (2007). Morphological character states shared by the remaining species, in Cathorops (Cathorops) , are as follows: fenestra delimited by mesethmoid and lateral ethmoid present (3, 0> 1); fenestra delimited by mesethmoid and lateral ethmoid small, not filled with cartilage (4,?> 0); mesethmoid posterior horn tubular, narrow and elongate (5, 0> 1); posterior branches of mesethmoid very long, delimiting one-half of length of anterior cranial fontanel (8, 0> 2); posterior cranial fontanel reduced to a small opening (27, 1> 0); extrascapular delimiting more than three-fifths of temporal fossa (40, 0> 1); tooth plates associated with vomer absent (55, 1> 0); accessory tooth plates molariform (61, 0> 1); ventral process at symphysis of dentary long and very conspicuous (115, 1> 2); teeth acicular and molariform on dentary (117, 0> 1); metapterygoid one and a one-half times longer than deep in perpendicular section (135, 1> 2); first hypobranchial very elongate transversely, its mesial face well developed and acute 172 (0> 1); anterior process of first hypobranchial inconspicuous (173, 0> 1); second hypobranchial very elongate transversely, its mesial face acute (176, 0> 1); space for insertion of teeth on fifth ceratobranchial very small (194, 1> 2); cardinal veins at same level of aortic canal (210, 0> 1); posterior process of cleithrum very short (224, 1> 0); cleithrum lateral face very narrow (227, 0> 1).

Ambiguous optimization: Posterior cranial fontanel formed exclusively frontals (25, 0> 1).

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 9. Representative skulls, in dorsal view, and distribution of Cathoropsini tribe nov. A, Cathorops hypophthalmus, USNM 293275. B, Notarius grandicassis, MPEG 30647. * marine, ** brackish waters, *** freshwater.

Figure 10. Cathorops hypophthalmus, USNM 293275, Panama Pacific drainage rivers, type species of the genus.