Otocinclus batmani, A, 2006

A, Pablo Lehmann, 2006, Otocinclus batmani, a new species of hypoptopomatine catfish (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from Colombia and Peru, Neotropical Ichthyology 4 (4), pp. 379-383 : 380-381

Otocinclus batmani , new species

Fig. 1

Holotype. ICNMHN 6721 , 28.5 mm SL, male, Colombia, Amazonas , small stream tributary of Río Puré , Río Japurá drainage, upper Río Amazonas basin, 02°07’05"S 69°37’50"W, 28 Dec 1999, John D. Lynch.

Paratypes. ICNMHN 6722 , 1 , 36.7 mm SL , MCP 34087, 1 c&s, 27.7 mm SL, and MHNUC 474 , 1 , 28.4 mm SL, collected with the holotype . ANSP 178616 , 4 , 35.0- 36.7 mm SL, 1 c&s, 38.4 mm SL, Peru, Loreto, Provincia de Maynas, small creek 25 miles south of Iquitos, tributary of Río Amazonas , 04°14’45"S 73°24’57"W, 11 Aug 2001, M. H. Sabaj, M. W. Littmann & J. G. Stewart . MCP 28172, 1 , 23.2 mm SL, Peru, Loreto, Nauta, creek 62 km SW of Iquitos on road to Nauta, tributary of Río Amazonas , 04°15’33"S 73°30’11"W, 6 Aug 2000, J. Albert, R. E. Reis & W. Crampton .

Diagnosis. The new species is distinguished from all other Otocinclus species , except O. cocama , by having a single, intensely pigmented, vertical W-shaped caudal fin spot and by having three discrete dark bands on dorsum, between the dorsal-fin base and the caudal fin. Otocinclus batmani differs from the O. cocama by the absence of vertically elongated blotches from the dorsal midline to the ventral border of flanks, and by lacking the posterior extension of black pigmentation on the base of two central caudal-fin rays. The new species is also distinguished from most Otocinclus species , except O. bororo , O. cocama , O. mariae , O. mura , and O. huaorani , by having 20 or more teeth in both the premaxilla and dentary (vs. less that 20 in all other species). Despite based on limited sampling (10 specimens) additional diagnostic morphometric data are presented in Table 1.

Description. Counts and proportional metrics given in Table 2. Standard length of examined specimens 23.2-36.7 mm. Dorsal profile of head from snout tip to dorsal-fin origin smoothly convex; straight between anterior margin of frontals and posterior supraoccipital tip. Dorsal profile of trunk from dorsalfin origin to dorsal procurrent caudal-fin rays slightly concave. Ventral profile of head and abdomen from snout tip to pelvic-fin base straight, transversely flat. Ventral profile of trunk straight between pelvic-fin base and anal-fin origin, concave between anal-fin origin and caudal peduncle. Caudal peduncle slightly rectangular in cross section. Snout tip smoothly rounded. Eyes moderately large, orbit center positioned approximately midway between snout tip and posterior process of pterotic-supracleithrum. Iris flap absent. Lateral ethmoid with expanded subnasal lamina.

Total plates in median lateral series 23. Lateral line discontinuous; anterior field of canal-bearing lateral line with 6*(6) or 7(4) plates; posterior field with 8(3) or 9*(7) plates and separated from anterior field by gap of 6(4) or 7*(6) non canalbearing plates. Greatest body depth at dorsal-fin origin. Dorsal fin when depressed reaching to vertical through posterior third of anal fin. Pectoral fin reaching to proximal third of pelvic-fin length; pelvic fin almost reaching to anal-fin origin.

Abdomen with paired series of 7(5) or 8*(5) large, rectangular, median plates arranged in irrregular series and becoming smaller and more irregularly shaped posteriorly; pre-anal plate well developed, continuous with median abdominal plates only in specimens above 30 mm SL.

Arrector fossa closed. Odontodes evenly distributed and regularly arranged on head and body; those on margins of snout only slightly larger than those on remainder of head. Enlarged odontodes along distal portion of unbranched rays of all fins, procurrent rays, and edges of caudal peduncle. Teeth bifid, with ovoid major medial cusp and small triangular minor, lateral cusp.Premaxillary teeth 23(1), 26*(3), 27(1), 29(2), 30(2), and 31(1). Mandibular teeth 19(3), 21(1), 22*(1), 24(1), 27(2), and 28(2). Oral disk ovoid, papillose. Maxillary barbel present with short free portion.

Lateral margins of nuchal plate reduced, not expanded over transverse processes of first dorsal-fin radial. Dorsal fin II,7*(9) or 8(1); pectoral fin I,6; pelvic fin i,5; anal fin i,5; caudal fin i,14,i*(9) or i,13,i(1). Dorsal and ventral caudal-fin lobes equal in length. Dorsal procurrent rays two or three, ventral procurrent rays two or three. Vertebrae 22, excluding those incorporated into Weberian complex.

Color in alcohol. Ground color pale yellow. Complex pattern of melanophores along entire dorsal surface of head and trunk; occasionally concentrated in diffuse clusters between supraoccipital and dorsal-fin origin and with three discrete bands along midline between dorsal-fin base and caudal fin. Head and trunk with distinct midlateral stripe composed of superficial and deep-lying melanophores extending from snout (pre-nasal plates) to base of caudal-fin rays; pigment especially concentrated in region immediately ventral to margin of pterotic-supracleithrum and posterior to dorsal margin of opercle. Caudal fin with one W-shaped vertical mark in distal half, heavily pigmented, from middle portion to posterior fin margin. Pigmentation along median rays between caudal-fin base and W-shaped mark always absent. Modally three uppermost and three lowermost caudal-fin rays with unpigmented tips. Middle rays 4-11 typically pigmented to distal margin. Pigmentation in dorsal fin concentrated in 3-4 distinct blotches along spine; two bands on branched rays; interradial membranes unpigmented. Anal fin unpigmented. Pectoral fin with 3-4 blotches along spine; branched rays and interradial membranes unpigmented. Pelvic fin unpigmented. Ventral surface of head and body mostly unpigmented ( Fig. 1).

Distribution. Otocinclus batmani is known from the typelocality, a small stream tributary to the Río Puré in Colombia, and from two creeks emptying into the Río Amazonas near Iquitos, Peru, in the upper Amazon River basin ( Fig. 2).

Etymology. The name batmani , alludes to Bob Kane’s hero Batman of the comic adventures, which had a bat shape for his symbol, referring to the single W- or bat-shaped vertical spot on the caudal-fin.