Systematics of the family Ariidae (Ostariophysi, Siluriformes), with a redefinition of the genera.
Author
Alexandre P. Marceniuk
Author
Naércio A. Menezes
text
Zootaxa
2007
1416
1
126
http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FFC65592-D8DB-41BE-AEAC-A41EAB6C6185
journal article
z01416p001
FFC65592-D8DB-41BE-AEAC-A41EAB6C6185
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
genus
Sciades
Müller & Troschel, 1849
(fig. 89)
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
genus
Sciades
Müller & Troschel, 1849: 6. Type species:
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Bagridae
Bagrus
Sciades
emphysetus
species
Bagrus (Sciades) emphysetus
Müller & Troschel, 1849. Type by subsequent designation. Type apparently designated first by Bleeker 1862: 8 (subgenus of
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Bagridae
Bagrus
genus
Bagrus
). Gender: masculine.
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Hexanematichthys
genus
Hexanematichthys
Bleeker, 1858: 61, 126. Type species:
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Bagridae
Bagrus
sondaicus
species
Bagrus sondaicus
Valenciennes, 1840. Type by monotypy. Gender: masculine.
Animalia
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Sciadeichthys
genus
Sciadeichthys
Bleeker, 1858: 62, 66. Type species:
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Bagridae
Bagrus
Sciades
emphysetus
species
Bagrus (Sciades) emphysetus
Müller & Troschel, 1849. Type by monotypy. Gender: masculine.
Animalia
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Selenaspis
genus
Selenaspis
Bleeker, 1858: 62. Type species:
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Siluridae
Silurus
herzbergii
species
Silurus herzbergii
Bloch, 1794. Type by subsequent designation by Jordan & Evermann (1896: 119). Gender: feminine.
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Ariopsis
genus
Ariopsis
Gill, 1861: 56. Type species:
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Arius
milberti
species
Arius milberti
Valenciennes, 1840. Type by monotypy. Gender: feminine.
Animalia
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Leptarius
genus
Leptarius
Gill, 1863: 170. Type species:
Animalia
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Leptarius
dowii
species
Leptarius dowii
Gill, 1863. Type by monotypy. Gender: masculine.
FIGURE 89.
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
emphysetus
species
Sciades emphysetus
, USNM 215204, 193 mm TL. Lateral view.
Diagnosis. The species of
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
genus
Sciades
can be differentiated from all other genera of the
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Ariidae
family
Ariidae
by the combination of the following exclusive (1 to 5) and shared (6 to 8) characters: (1) medial groove of neurocranium delimited mostly or exclusively by frontal bones (fig. 90); (2) temporal fossa very reduced or entirely closed during ontogenetic development (fig. 90) (with exception of
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
leptaspis
species
Sciades leptaspis
); (3) otic capsules little developed; (4) space between transcapular process and otic capsule very wide; (5) subvertebral process indistinct or little differentiated; (6) posterior cranial fontanel absent (fig. 90) (with exception of
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
platypogon
species
Sciades platypogon
and shared with
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Batrachocephalus
genus
Batrachocephalus
); (7) epiphyseal bar indistinct (with exception of
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
platypogon
species
Sciades platypogon
and shared with
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Batrachocephalus
genus
Batrachocephalus
); (8) exoccipital posterior process sutured to Muller’s ramus (with exception of
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
platypogon
species
Sciades platypogon
and shared with
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Potamarius
izabalensis
species
Potamarius izabalensis
).
Supplementary morphological characters. Cephalic shield conspicuously granulated visible under the skin; lateral ethmoid and frontal limiting a small fenestra not visible under the skin; medial groove of neurocranium limited by frontal bones and/or on supraoccipital distinct or not very distinct; posterior cranial fontanel always closed (except in
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
platypogon
species
S. platypogon
); fenestra limited by supraoccipital, pterotic and sphenotic absent; fossa limited by pterotic, supracleithrum and extrascapular absent (except in
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
leptaspis
species
S. leptaspis
); epioccipital not invading dorsal portion of cephalic shield; occipital process triangular, its length and width variable, progressively narrower toward its posterior part; anterior and median nuchal plates fused and indistinct, forming a structure of semi-lunar aspect or broad in form of shield; tooth plates associated with vomer round; accessory tooth plates large, oval shaped or subtriangular, bearing conical teeth; maxillary barbel fleshy and cylindrical; two pairs of mental barbels; base of adipose fin moderately long, about half as long as anal-fin base; lateral line not bifurcated at caudal region, reaching caudal-fin upper lobe (with exception of
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
couma
species
S. couma
); cleithrum wide, with second process on its upper portion; posterior cleithral process moderately long and distinct from dorsal process of cleithrum.
Remarks.
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
genus
Sciades
contains the largest number of ariid species from the eastern and western Americas, south and southeast Asia, southern New Guinea and northern Australia. The nominal genera
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Hexanematichthys
genus
Hexanematichthys
,
Animalia
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Selenaspis
genus
Selenaspis
and
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Ariopsis
genus
Ariopsis
represented by the respective type-species
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Pimelodidae
Pimelodus
sagor
species
Pimelodus sagor
Hamilton, 1822,
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Siluridae
Silurus
herzbergii
species
Silurus herzbergii
Bloch, 1794 and
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Arius
milberti
species
Arius milberti
Valenciennes, 1840 (=
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Siluridae
Silurus
felis
species
Silurus felis
Linnaeus, 1766), are considered junior synonyms of
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
genus
Sciades
. The genus
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
genus
Sciades
and
Animalia
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Sciadeichthys
genus
Sciadeichthys
are based on the same type-species,
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Bagridae
Bagrus
Sciades
emphysetus
species
Bagrus (Sciades) emphysetus
Müller & Troschel, 1849 and the latter is considered an objective synonym of the former. The osteology of
Animalia
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Leptarius
dowii
species
Leptarius dowii
Gill, 1863, the type-species of
Animalia
Siluriformes
Ariidae
Leptarius
genus
Leptarius
, was not examined but morphological information from preserved specimens indicates that this genus is junior synonym of
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
genus
Sciades
. In addition to
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
mastersi
species
S. mastersi
(Ogilby, 1898),
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
paucus
species
S. paucus
(Kailola, 2000) and
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
utarus
species
S. utarus
(Kailola, 1990) were considered to belong in the genus based on the presence of external diagnostic morphological characters available in the literature. The inclusion of
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
sona
species
S. sona
(Hamilton, 1822) is only tentative.
The species
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
couma
species
Sciades couma
(Valenciennes, 1840),
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
emphysetus
species
S. emphysetus
,
Animalia
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Siluridae
Silurus
herzbergii
species
S. herzbergii
,
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
passany
species
S. passany
(Valenciennes, 1840) and
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
proops
species
S. proops
(Valenciennes, 1840), form a subgroup well supported by the following exclusive characters, indicating that they might be considered a separate genus in future studies: lateral margin of premaxillary with a conspicuous concavity; mesopterygoid irregularly shaped (fig. 91); ectopterygoid very elongated (fig. 91); posterior nostrils connected by a groove (with exception of
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
emphysetus
species
S. emphysetus
and
Animalia
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cerambycidae
Sciades
proops
species
S. proops
).
Distribution and habitat. Eastern and western America, south and southeast Asia, southern New Guinea and northern Australia.