Crenicichla maculata, Kullander & Santos de Lucena, 2006

Kullander, Sven O. & Santos de Lucena, Carlos A., 2006, A review of the species of Crenicichla (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from the Atlantic coastal rivers of southeastern Brazil from Bahia to Rio Grande do Sul States, with descriptions of three new species, Neotropical Ichthyology 4 (2), pp. 127-146 : 139-141

Crenicichla maculata , new species

Fig. 8

Holotype. MCP 14661. Young female, 96.3 mm. Brazil, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Maquiné , rio Pinheiro , 14 Jan 1991, N. Menezes, R. Reis & E.H.L. Pereira.

Paratypes. 59 specimens, 61.8–211.5 mm. Santa Catarina: rio Tubarão drainage: MCP 11080 (5, 31.0– 116.1 mm), rio Capivari road Gravatal-Armazém, 10 Dec 1986, C. Lucena et al. Rio Itajaí- Açu drainage: MCP 16479 (5, 83.6–116.6 mm), ribeirão São Luis, mun. Apiúna, 15 Oct 1993, C. Lucena et al.; MCP 16529 (3, 67.2– 117.4 mm), same data as MCP 16479. Rio Itapocu drainage: NMW 32818 (1, 247.0 mm), Joinville, Dez 1908, Erhardt; NMW 33131– 132 (2, 137.8– 155.5 mm), Paul Fluss , 1910 [probably some place near Joinville city); NMW 33144 (1, 110.4 mm), rio Isabel [probably rio Isabela, a tributary of rio Novo, near Corupá]; NMW 33145–146 (2, 102.7– 108.6 mm), rio Isabel (same observations above as NMW 33144), 1910, Erhardt ; NMW 33191 (3, 94.7–133.0 mm), rio Novo , Apr 1910 , Erhardt; NMW 33198 (3, 101.2– 131.9 mm), rio Novo, 1910, Erhardt ; NMW 33206-208 (3, 119.7– 133.1 mm), rio Novo , Apr 1910 , Erhardt; NMW 33242 (1, 235.0 mm), Joinville , Jan 1909 ; NMW 33287 (1, 74.0 mm), Joinville, 1913, Berndt; Rio Grande do Sul: rio Maquiné-lagoa dos Quadros drainage : MCP 10767 (1, 129.1 mm), rio Maquiné, mun. Osório , 25 May 1986 , C. Lucena et al.; MCP 13609 (2, 78.3–81.9 mm), rio Maquiné near Maquiné, mun. Osório. 1 Oct 1989 , S.O. Kullander et al.; MCP 13924 (1, 123.8 mm), lagoa dos Quadros at bridge of Parque Náutico, mun. Capão da Canoa , 31 Mar 1990 , A. Ramires & B. Dyer ; MCP 14662 (2, 70.3– 100.1 mm), rio Mitmann, Vila Nova at 10 km of the road BR101 , mun. Terra de Areia , 15 Jan 1991 , N.A.Menezes et al.; MCP 15275 (13, 104.8– 191.7 mm), lagoa do Palmital , 7 Nov 1991 , L. Malabarba et al.; MCP 15276 (5, 164.6– 184.7 mm), lagoa dos Quadros, near the Estação de Piscicultura, mun. Terra de Areia , 13 Nov 1991 . L. R. Malabarba et al .; MCP 15278 (3, 84.0–189.0 mm), arroio do Ouro, between Maquine and Barra do Ouro , 19 Nov 1990 , L. R. Malabarba & A. Kindel ; MCP 16313 (4, 113.5– 179.8 mm), lagoa Emboaba, mun. Tramandaí , 1992, S. Hartz & W. Bruschi Jr .; NRM 26077 (2, 79.5–79.6 mm S:L), rio Maquiné near Maquiné , 1 Oct 1989 , S.O. Kullander et al. Rio Três Forquilhas-lagoa Itapeva drainage : MCP 6061 (4, 79.8–163.1 mm), rio Três Forquilhas, Porto Alágio, mun. Torres , 25 May 1986 , C. Lucena et al.; MCP 11257 (6, 61.8–211.5 mm), rio Três Forquihas, mun. Torres , 28 Apr 1987 , A. Bergmann & P. Azevedo ; MCP 14273 (2, 70.0– 128.5 mm), rio Três Forquilhas on road Três Forquilhas-Itati, mun. Torres, ca. 50°05’W 29°30’S, 12 Dec 1989 , Margarete Lucena et al.; MCP 14308 (1, 114.8 mm), rio Três Forquilhas, mun. Torres , 12 Dec 1989 , M. Lucena et al.

Diagnosis. An elongate, large sized species of the C. lacustris group. Crenicichla maculata differs from all other coastal southeastern Brazilian species by the presence of a row of 5-8 dark blotches along middle of side and narrow vertical bars absent vs. presence of a continuous lateral band and vertical bars in C. mucuryna . Crenicichla maculata is most similar to C. punctata in color pattern, males always feature a pattern of irregularly distributed dark spots over the sides, whereas this pattern is lost in breeding females. Crenicichla maculata differs from C. punctata in absence of minute dark spots on the head. From C. haroldoi , C. jaguarensis , and C. jupiaensis , C. maculata can be distinguished by E1 row scale counts, 60-75, one specimen with 58 (vs. 47-56). From C. iguassuensis , with similar color pattern, C. maculata differs by presence of a row of 5-8 dark blotches along side and snout pointed with lower jaw distinctly prognathous (vs. 4-5 dark blotches, snout blunt with lower jaw slightly prognathous). Crenicichla maculata differs from C. niederleinii by absence of narrow vertical bars.

Description. Based primarily on specimens about 100.0 mm and larger. Largest male 191.7 mm, largest female 211.5 mm. Measurements given in Table 3 , counts in Tables 4-8 . See Fig. 8 for general aspect.

Comparatively deep bodied, body depth 17.9-24.1% SL. Head nearly always slightly wider than deep, sometimes about as deep as wide. Caudal peduncle longer than deep. Snout long, rounded when viewed from above, moderately pointed in lateral view. Lower jaw prognathous.Ascending premaxillary processes reaching to vertical from middle of orbit. Maxilla reaching to vertical from anterior margin of orbit or slightly beyond. Upper lip thick and wide, folds not continuous but cutting into symphyseal wide thickening. Postlabial skin fold margin rounded. Orbit supralateral, eye not visible from below, chiefly in anterior half of head. Nostrils dorsolateral, about halfway between orbit and margin of postlabial skin fold and with slightly elevated margin but no anterior marginal skin flap. Preopercle regularly serrated.

Flank scales strongly ctenoid. All scales on head, anteriorly on back to middle of upper lateral line, along dorsal fin base, on chest, and belly below line from lower edge of pectoral axilla to anal fin origin and along anal fin base cycloid. Predorsal scales small, superficially embedded in skin, extending forward to transverse frontal lateralis canal. Prepelvic scales very small, superficially embedded in skin. Cheek fully scaled or narrowly naked ventrally and anteroventrally; 5-9 scales rows below eye, embedded in skin. Interopercle naked. Circumpeduncular scale rows 11-14 dorsally, 11-15 ventrally (total 26-31 including lateral lines).

Scales between upper lateral line and dorsal fin 10-14 anteriorly, 4-7 posteriorly; 3 scale rows between lateral lines.Anterior upper lateral line scales slightly larger and more elongate than adjacent scales, remaining lateral line scales almost same size as adjacent scales; 3 scales impinging on each scale of anterior part, 2 on each scale of posterior part of upper lateral line; 2 scales impinging on each scale of lower lateral line. Scales absent from dorsal, anal, pectoral, and pelvic fins. Caudal fin squamation concave, marginally extending to middle of fin.

First dorsal spine about 1/3-1/4 length of last; spines in- creasing in length to last but subequal from about 10 th. Soft part of dorsal fin rounded or subacuminate, reaching to about base of caudal fin. Soft anal fin with rounded tip, not reaching to caudal fin base. Caudal fin rounded. Pectoral fin rounded, reaching halfway to anal fin origin. Pelvic fin inserted well posterior to vertical from pectoral axilla, with rounded tip, second ray longest, reaching halfway to anal fin origin; anterior rays and margin not particularly thickened.

All teeth pointed, slightly recurved. Outer row teeth distinctly larger than inner teeth and larger anteriorly than posteriorly. Upper jaw anteriorly with 4-5 inner rows; all teeth inclinable or depressible. Lower jaw anteriorly with 3 inner rows; all teeth inclinable or depressible.

Microbranchiospines present externally on second to fourth gill arches.

Lower pharyngeal tooth plate in 136 mm specimen, MCP 11257 ( Fig. 9 ), strongly compressed dorsoventrally, slightly wider than long and with wide dentigerous area (length of bone including posterior muscular processes 93% of width, along midline 68% of width; dentigerous area length 76% of dentigerous area width; dentigerous area midline length 65% of dentigerous area width). Teeth fairly short laterally, gradually increasing in size caudally and medially, teeth in posterior row markedly longer than other teeth. On anterior half of bone and along margins unicuspid, pointed, with caudad curved tips; centrally rounded in cross section, with more or less central, worn cusp; posterior row teeth and few adjacent teeth with posterior rostrad curved cusp and subapical narrow shelf anteriorly. Posterior and posterolateral teeth more or less compressed in cross section, remainder rounded in cross section. 18 teeth in posterior row, 8-9 irregularly arranged teeth in midline row.

Coloration in alcohol. Dark brown preorbital stripe from orbit across upper lip and around tip of lower jaw. Dark brown postorbital stripe running straight from orbit to dorsal end of gill cleft, but sometimes reduced to blackish spot immediately posterior to orbit. Suborbital stripe as wide as pupil or slightly narrower, slightly caudad inclined, extending to or almost to margin of preopercle; proximally (on second infraorbital) entire, deep black, gradually more fragmented distally into blackish to brown spots on scale centers. Nuchal markings faint in larger specimens, but well marked in smaller specimens, including black spot little above posttemporal, spot occasionally elongated to form stripe along margin of predorsal squamation above sphenotic, and triangular spot at posterior middle of distal extrascapular.

Basic body pattern consisting of series of 5-8 dark brown to blackish, rounded or slightly elongated blotches along middle of side slightly below upper lateral line scale row, continued along caudal peduncle immediately above lower lateral line. Blotches as well as last blotch and caudal peduncle band connected by dark brown pigment given appearance of band with portions intensified. Blotches appear at irregular intervals, and another one or two blotches may appear interspersed between others or as a result of division of regular spot. Slightly paler dark vertical bars extending between lateral blotches and dorsal fin base; often resulting in pattern of series of light blotches along sides of back. Lateral line scales light with dark dot distally.

Young specimens, males and most females with numerous minute dark spots irregularly distributed over body, excepting only head, chest, lower side of abdomen, along base of anal fin and ventrally on caudal peduncle. Breeding females completely lack minute dark spots. One male (MCP 11080, 114.4 mm), apparently in breeding color, overall light, with lateral blotches having nearly disappeared and conspicuous contrasting pattern of dark dots.

Unpaired fins marked with small, irregularly distributed dark spots, in about 3 (anteriorly) to 6 (posteriorly) horizontal rows on dorsal fin, up to about 7 vertical rows on caudal fin, and up to about 6 horizontal rows on anal fin. Caudal fin also with faintly expressed dark submarginal band along posterior margin. Caudal spot small, extending between rays D1 and D4, black, rounded or vertically ovate, usually with light margin only along margin toward caudal fin base, but sometimes fully ocellated. In young specimens spot fully ocellated, whereas in specimens understood as showing breeding color pattern light ring sometimes completely lost. Pelvic fin white and without markings.

In breeding females spots absent or few and indistinct in unpaired fins; dorsal fin in females smoky with darker wide margin, occasionally with distinct light submarginal stripe. Dark blotch or ocellus on middle portion of dorsal fin absent in all females.

Stomach contents. One specimen, 182.7 mm (MCP 15276) contained mostly molluscs shells (bivalves) but also coleopteran larvae. Another specimen, 191.7 mm (MCP 15275) contained remains of fishes and a gastropod mollusc.

Geographical distribution. Four areas of distribution are represented in our material. Most specimens come from a limited area north of laguna dos Patos, viz. the lower rio Maquiné, lower rio Três Forquilhas, lagoa dos Quadros, lagoa do Palmital and lagoa Emboaba, State of Rio Grande do Sul. To the north there is one sample from the rio Tubarão drainage, one from ribeirão São Luis in the rio Itajaí-Açu drainage, and another from the rio Itapocu drainage ( Fig. 6 ) all in the State of Santa Catarina.

Notes. Crenicichla maculata is very similar to C. punctata and replaces C. punctata in drainages immediately north of the laguna dos Patos. The two species share a general color pattern consisting of a row of dark blotches along the middle of the side and numerous dark spots scattered over sides and fins. Crenicichla maculata can be distinguished by reference to the head coloration. In C. punctata both males and females have dark spots on the head similar to spots on the sides, but the spotting does not advance anterior to the first side blotch in C. maculata . Breeding females of C. punctata , however, may lack head spots and thus be indistinguishable from C. maculata specimens. The suborbital stripe is generally wider and longer in C. maculata (4-8 scales wide, extending to the preopercular margin) than in C. punctata (3-5 scales wide, extending to middle or 4/5 the distance to the preopercular margin), but several specimens remain unidentifiable using stripe width alone. There are no differences in fin or scale counts.

Figures

Fig. 8. Crenicichla maculata,female,MCP 14661, holotype, 96.3 mmSL, Maquiné, rioPinheiro, State ofRio Grandedo Sul, Brazil.

Fig. 9. Crenicichla maculata, lower pharyngeal tooth plate in occlusal aspect, MCP 11257 (133.7 mm SL).

Fig. 6. Collecting localities of Crenicichla iguapina, C. tingui, C. maculata, and C. punctata in the coastal rivers of southeastern Brazil. Most important rivers are: 1. Rio Jacui (part of the laguna dos Patos System); 2. Rio Itajaí-Açu; and 3. Rio Ribeira de Iguape. A symbol may cover more than one collecting site.