Peckoltia lujani Armbruster, Werneke & Tan

Armbruster, Jonathan W., Werneke, David C. & Tan, Milton, 2015, Three new species of saddled loricariid catfishes, and a review of Hemiancistrus, Peckoltia, and allied genera (Siluriformes), ZooKeys 480, pp. 97-123 : 107-112

Taxon classification Animalia Siluriformes Loricariidae

Peckoltia lujani Armbruster, Werneke & Tan sp. n. Fig. 5, Table 4

Type locality.

Venezuela, South America

Holotype.

AUM 53523, 75.1 mm SL, VENEZUELA, Amazonas, río Orinoco at Paso Ganado, 38 km NNW of San Fernando de Atabapo, 04.3842°, -067.7747°, 27 Mar 2010, N.K. Lujan, D.C. Werneke, M.H. Sabaj, T. Carvalho, V. Meza, and O. León.

Paratypes.

ANSP 162174, 13, 46.0-74.3, VENEZUELA, Amazonas, río Orinoco at El Burro, 06.2°, -067.4333°, 26 Nov 1985, B. Chernoff et al.; AUM 43008, 4 nm, 19.8-32.4, VENEZUELA, Amazonas, río Orinoco dr., río Orinoco, at Puerto Venado 2 km NW of Samariapo and 56.4 km SSW of Puerto Ayacucho, 05.2106°, -067.8049°, 26 Feb 2005, N.K. Lujan, D.C. Werneke, M.H. Sabaj, M. Arce, R. Betancur, and T.E. Wesley; AUM 53474, 1, 37.4, VENEZUELA, Amazonas, rio Orinoco at Raudales Atures, 8.3 km SSW of Puerto Ayacucho, 05.5989°, -067.6139°, 23 Mar 2010, N.K. Lujan, D.C. Werneke, M.H. Sabaj, T. Carvalho, V. Meza; AUM 53979, 2, 31.6-34.3, VENEZUELA, Amazonas, rio Orinoco at Merey, 97.6 km N of San Fernando de Atabapo, 04.9178°, -067.8329°, 18 Apr 2010, J. Birindelli, N.K. Lujan, and V. Meza; MCNG 56579, 1,62.9, MCP 48401, 1, 57.8, same data as holotype; ROM 93352, 12, 38.0-64.5, VENEZUELA, Amazonas, rio Orinoco across channel from Puerto Venado (near Samariapo), 56.7 km south-southwest of Puerto Ayacucho, 05.2095°, -067.8095°, 24 Mar 2010, N.K. Lujan, M.H. Sabaj, D.C. Werneke, V. Meza, and T. Carvalho.

Other material.

ANSP 166770, 1, 61.3, VENEZUELA, Bolivar, río Orinoco dr., rio Aro, Salto El Pajaro, 18 Oct 1987, M. Rodriguez; ICNMHN 1480, 13, 35.3-76.3 (4 nm), COLOMBIA, Meta, río Meta - río Orinoco dr., río Negro on the Villavicencio - Puerto Lopez road, (4.1025°, -072.9368°), 11 Jan 1988, H. Silvergrip; ICNMH 9096, 1, 79.5, COLOMBIA, Arauca, río Meta - río Orinoco dr., Caño Ormedillo, Arauca-Caño Norte road, (06.8514°, -070.6486°) 27 Feb 1977, P. Cala; MCNG 19318, 2 nm., VENEZUELA, Bolivar, río Orinoco to the east of Ciudad Bolivar in the population of El Rosario, 08.3167°, -063.0833°, 24 Sep 1987, G. Feo, R. Morales, and H. Barbarino.

Diagnosis.

Peckoltia lujani can be separated from Peckoltia pankimpuju by having well developed color and eyes; from all Peckoltia except Peckoltia braueri , Peckoltia capitulata , Peckoltia compta , Peckoltia greedoi , Peckoltia oligospila , Peckoltia otali , and Peckoltia stimulata by having the abdomen largely naked posterior to the pectoral girdle (vs. only small naked patches at insertions of pelvic fins); from all Peckoltia except Peckoltia furcata , Peckoltia greedoi , Peckoltia lujani , Peckoltia pankimpuju , and Peckoltia sabaji by having the dentaries meet at an angle greater than 90°; from Peckoltia ephippiata and Peckoltia greedoi by having large spots or blotches on the posterolateral surface of head and nape (vs. very small, very faint spots); from Peckoltia ephippiata and by lacking slight keels on the lateral plates, particularly the median series (vs. slight keels present), by having bands in the dorsal fin (vs. dorsal fin with light rays and dark membranes), by having fewer teeth ( Peckoltia ephippiata : 39-72 dentary, 41-73 premaxillary; Peckoltia lujani : 20-37 dentary, 23-45 premaxillary); from Peckoltia greedoi by having the pectoral-fin spine relaxed position only slightly dorsally, pointing maximally to dorsal insertion of caudal fin (vs. angled dorsally, pointing at insertion of dorsal fin) and pectoral-fin spine reaching less than one plate of the ventral series beyond the pelvic base when adpressed ventral to pelvic fin (vs. two or more).

Peckoltia lujani differs from Etsaputu by having greater than six evertible cheek odontodes, the largest of which extends posterior to the eye (vs. six or fewer, the largest not extending beyond the exposed portion of the opercle). Peckoltia lujani can be separated from Hemiancistrus (except ' Hemiancistrus ' landoni ) and Ancistomus by having prominent dorsal saddles (vs. dark or light spots or entirely dark); and from all Hemiancistrus and Ancistomus by having bands in the caudal fin and no free spots (vs. bands absent or present with some free spots) and bands in the dorsal fin (vs. spots or no markings). Peckoltia ephippiata can be separated from Peckoltichthys bachi by having no spots on the head (vs. large dark spots or mottling); by having the eyes high on the head with the dorsal rim of the orbit higher than the interorbital space (vs. low on the head, dorsal rim of orbit lower than interorbital space), and by having small plates on the abdomen (vs. relatively large).

Peckoltia caenosa is known from the same region as Peckoltia lujani and can be difficult to tell apart when juveniles. Peckoltia lujani differs from adult Peckoltia caenosa by lacking vermiculations on the abdomen and head, and from all Peckoltia caenosa by having the dentaries meet in a broad arc that is greater than 120° (vs. meeting at an angle less than 90°), and by having fewer teeth (all except one specimen with 24-37 dentary teeth and 22-45 premaxillary teeth [16 and 19 respectively in aberrant specimen] vs. 10-18 dentary teeth and 11-21 premaxillary teeth).

Description.

Morphometrics in Table 4, counts and measurements based on 25 specimens unless noted. Largest specimen examined 75.1 mm SL. Body moderately elongate. Head and nape forming arc from tip of snout to anterior of parieto-supraoccipital, rising more rapidly to parieto-supraoccipital crest, and then more slowly to dorsal-fin. Dorsal slope decreasing in straight line to insertion of dorsal procurrent caudal rays then ascending to caudal fin. Body depth greatest below insertion of dorsal fin. Ventral profile flat to ventral procurrent caudal-fin rays, and then sloped ventrally. Caudal peduncle oval in cross section with dorsal and ventral surfaces flattened. Body widest at insertion of pectoral fins, narrowest at insertion of caudal fin. Snout rounded.

Eye moderately sized, dorsal rim of orbit forming moderate crest that continues forward of orbit to area just anterior of nares as a low, rounded ridge. Iris operculum present. Interorbital space flat. Parieto-supraoccipital pointed posteriorly with a moderate crest formed along near entire length of parieto-supraoccipital. Infraorbitals, frontal, nasal, compound pterotic, and parieto-supraoccipital supporting odontodes. Preopercle not supporting odontodes. Opercle generally covered by plates and not supporting odontodes although one to two may be present, particularly in smaller individuals.

Lips covered with short, wide papillae. Lower lip wide, upper lip narrow. Edge of lower lip with small crenulae. Maxillary barbel only barbel present, reaching about one third of distance to gill opening.

Median plates 25-27 (mode 26). Plates unkeeled, but first four or five plates of mid-ventral series very slightly bent to form slight ridge. Five caudal peduncle plate rows. Plates on all dorsolateral surfaces of body except for oval naked area at snout tip. Throat with a few plates posterior to lip. Abdomen only with few sparse platelets below pectoral girdle and in narrow column posterolaterally to pectoral girdle in type series (some platelets below pelvic girdle in Meta specimens). Evertible cheek plates supporting hypertrophied odontodes that can be everted perpendicular to head. Cheek odontodes 5-49 (mode 25). Longest evertible cheek odontode reaching to about level of posterior edge of pectoral-fin spine. Hypertrophied cheek odontodes relatively weak. Odontodes slightly longer than average body odontodes present along dorsal-, adipose-, pelvic-, caudal-, and pectoral-fin spines; larger individuals with hypertrophied odontodes at tip of pectoral spine.

Dorsal fin ii,7; dorsal spinelet V-shaped, dorsal-fin locking mechanism present, last ray of dorsal fin not reaching preadipose plate when adpressed. Adipose fin with single preadipose plate and moderately long spine. Caudal fin i,14,i; caudal fin forked, ventral lobe longer than dorsal lobe; dorsal procurrent caudal rays five, and ventral procurrent caudal rays four to five (mode five; n=24 for dorsals). Pectoral fin i,6; pectoral-fin spine reaching just posterior to pelvic fin when adpressed ventral to pelvic fin. Pelvic fin i,5; pelvic-fin spine extending to posterior end of base of anal fin when adpressed. Anal fin i,4; anal-fin spine slightly shorter than first ray.

Teeth bicuspid with lateral lobe three-quarters length of medial lobe and distal tip of lateral cusp one-half width of tip of medial cusp. 20-37 left dentary teeth (mode 32). 23-45 left premaxillary teeth (mode 39).

Color.

Base color light tan with brown to black markings. Four dorsal saddles on the body, the first below the middle rays of the dorsal fin, the second below the pos terior rays of the dorsal fin and slightly posterior, the third below the adipose fin and slightly anterior, and the fourth at the end of the caudal peduncle. Third and fourth saddles may have anterior extensions or have an anterior projection making them h-shaped or may be split nearly in half. Saddles two to four extend to median plate row, saddle one continues to insertion of pectoral fin. Very large blotches or spots present from saddle one to caudal fin. All fins except dorsal always with dark bands with dark areas from about as wide to about twice as wide as light areas. Number of bands increases with size. Dorsal fin coloration complex, ranging from a mix of dark and light spots that may or may not combine to form bands (bands always forming distally). The dark or light spots/bands in dorsal fin may or may not combine with those dorsal or ventral. Dark spots/bands typically darker on the rays distally and on the membranes proximally. Dark spot present between dorsal-fin spinelet and spine. Abdomen with medium spots. Lower surface of caudal peduncle with dark blotches. Juveniles colored as adults, but with bar two extending to insertion of pelvic fin, without anterior extensions of the third and fourth dorsal bars, third and fourth bars extending across ventral margin of caudal peduncle, without spots on the abdomen, and with the spots or blotches on the sides (if present) just between first and second bars.

Sexual dimorphism.

None observed.

Distribution.

Known from the Meta Drainage near Villavicencio and the Orinoco from the mouth of the Meta to around Ciudad Bolivar (Fig. 3).

Remarks.

The type locality was restricted to collection localities in Amazonas, Venezuela. There is variation within the species, and it is possible that other forms may be present within the species. The Colombian specimens (ICNMHN 1480 and ICNMH 9096) differed in shape from the other members of the species, and we do not have the specimens to check their identity, so they were excluded from counts and measurements.

Etymology.

Named in honor of the former graduate student of JWA, Dr. Nathan Lujan. Dr. Lujan has led expeditions to some of the most remote regions of South America and obtained some of the most important specimens for the study of loricariid systematics specifically as well as South American fish systematics and ecology in general. In the process, he has given JWA more taxonomic work in the last decade than he had thought possible, and he is very thankful. Dr. Lujan also collected the best specimens known of the species.