Megaleporinus conirostris (Steindachner 1875)

Ceríaco, Luis M. P., Santos, Bruna S., Semedo, Thiago B. F., Garcia, Lucas Canes & Moreira, Cristiano Rangel, 2023, The fish collection of José Mariano da Conceição Veloso (1742 - 1811) and the beginning of ichthyological research in Brazil, with a taxonomic description of the extant specimens, Zootaxa 5391 (1), pp. 1-85 : 28

Megaleporinus conirostris (Steindachner 1875)

Extant specimens: MCUC ZOO.0000061 ( Fig. 14 ).

Classification on the specimen: “P. Abd. Salmo argentina ”

Common names on the specimen (Portuguese/Tupi): Piaba branca (see comments).

Comments: This species was undescribed at the time Veloso prepared it. The specific name “ argentina ” inscribed on the herbarium sheet appears to be erroneous, as in Ichthyologia Fluminensis manuscript this species has the specific name spelled “ argentinus ”. This same spelling is also used in the transference document to the University of Coimbra. Salmo argentinus Linnaeus 1758 [= Piabucus dentatus (Koelreuter 1763) ] was a species known at the time, although distinctively different morphologically from Megaleporinus conirostris . The Ajuda’s inventory includes 37 herborized specimens of Salmo , and two specimens identified as Salmo argentinus listed in the transference documentation to the University of Coimbra. This species is not listed in the transference list to the Lisbon Academy of Sciences. While the common name is on the right side, a place where usually the Tupi name is placed, it is, in fact, a combination of Tupi (“piaba”) and Portuguese (“branca”). Megaleporinus conirostris occurs in the rio Paraíba do Sul and rio Doce basins in southeastern Brazil (F. C. T. Lima Pers. comm).

Figures

FIGURE 14. Megaleporinus conirostris (Steindachner 1875), MCUC ZOO.0000061, 230 mm SL. Photo by Luis M. P. Ceríaco.