Lepidocharax, Ferreira & Menezes & Quagio-Grassioto, 2011

Ferreira, Katiane M., Menezes, Naércio A. & Quagio-Grassioto, Irani, 2011, A new genus and two new species of Stevardiinae (Characiformes: Characidae) with a hypothesis on their relationships based on morphological and histological data, Neotropical Ichthyology 9 (2), pp. 281-298 : 283

Lepidocharax , new genus

Type species. Lepidocharax diamantina , by original designation.

Diagnosis. According to our analysis, Lepidocharax can be phylogenetically diagnosed from the remaining Stevardiinae by the presence of the following autapomorphies supporting clade 4: 1) parhypural and hypural 1 either contacting each other leaving a narrow joint line between them or fused to each other (character 64, state 1), and 2) nasal tubular, without bone expansion (character 96, state 1). Both characters are, however, homoplastically shared among other Stevardiinae . Character 64 (state1) also supports clades 10 and 13, and character 96 (state 1) supports clade 16.

In addition, several distinguishing features are useful to diagnose Lepidocharax . It can be distinguished from all the other genera of the Stevardiinae except Planaltina , Pseudocorynopoma , and Xenurobrycon by having the dorsalfin origin on the same vertical crossing the anal-fin origin. The presence of adnate scales over the ventral caudal-fin lobe distinguishes Lepidocharax from Planaltina , Pseudocorynopoma , and Xenurobrycon which have a caudal organ or pouch bordered by modified scales or represented by a single modified pouch scale.

Etymology. Lepido, from the Greek, for scales and charax,from the Greek characo, meaning pointed stake, here used in reference to the characid genus Charax , hence a Characid fish. Lepidocharax is a name used in reference to the scales covering the ventral caudal-fin lobe. A noun in apposition.