Moema apurinan Costa

Wilson J. E. M. Costa, 2004, Moema apurinan sp. n. and Aphyolebias boticarioi sp. n. (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae): two new annual killifishes from the Rio Purus basin, Brazilian Amazon., Zootaxa 707, pp. 1-12 : 11

[[ Moema apurinan Costa ]]

Discussion

Relationships among species of Moema and Aphyolebias are still unclear. Most characters used to diagnose species (e.g., number of vertebrae, number of anal and pectoral-fin rays, caudal-fin shape, presence of organs of contact on male scales, width of the basihyal and the rostral cartilage, and color patterns) are variable among potential outgroups to both genera (i.e., putative closely related genera, Micromoema Costa, 1998 , Renova Thomerson & Taphorn, 1995 , Trigonectes Myers, 1925 , Neofundulus Myers, 1924 , Pterolebias Garman, 1895 , Gnatholebias Costa, 1998 ) (Costa, 1998, 2003b, d). For example, the reduced number of vertebrae in Moema apurinan and M. staecki , with a total of 33-35 vertebrae, is within the range of most species of closely related genera, which have 29-34 vertebrae, but contrasts with the remaining species of Moema which possess 36-39 vertebrae. This suggests that all species of Moema except Moema apurinan and M. staecki form a monophyletic unit defined by higher vertebra counts.