Bryconamericus scleroparius clade

Bryconamericus brevirostris (Günther) ?, B. emperador (Eigenmann & Ogle) ?, B. guaytarae Eigenmann & Henn ?, B. loisae (Géry) ?, B. multiradiatus Dahl ?, B. peruanus (Müller & Troschel) ?, B. scleroparius, B. simus (Boulenger) ?, B. terrabensis Meek ?, B. zeteki Hildebrand ?.

Bryconamericus scleroparius was included in the Astyanax clade in the hypothesis of Mirande (2009). In this study instead this species is the sister group of a large clade of characids composed of the subfamilies Aphyocharacinae, Aphyoditeinae, Cheirodontinae, Gymnocharacinae, and Stevardiinae . Bryconamericus scleroparius shares with B. brevirostris, B. emperador (with eight or nine branched dorsal-fin rays), B. peruanus, B. scopiferus guaitarae (= B. guaytarae), and B. simus (Eigenmann, 1917) the presence of nine branched dorsal-fin rays and a relatively high number of anal-fin rays. Géry (1977) included these species plus B. caucanus Eigenmann, B. loisae, B. multiradiatus, B. phoenicopterus (Cope), B. terrabensis, and B. zeteki in a Bryconamericus peruanus group, defined by the relatively high number of anal-fin rays, but not necessarily having nine branched dorsal-fin rays. Among these species, Bryconamericus caucanus and B. phoenicopterus have only eight branched dorsal-fin rays (as in true Bryconamericus), according to Eigenmann (1917), and these two species are not putatively considered in this clade. Román-Valencia (2000) mentioned that Bryconamericus dahli has between 8 and 10 branched dorsal-fin rays. Such intraspecific variation is rare among characids, but this species is also tentatively included in this clade. As Bryconamericus exodon, the type species of the genus, is included in the Stevardiinae, B. scleroparius and close relatives should be transferred to another genus. Eretmobrycon bayano Fink, transferred to Bryconamericus by Román-Valencia (2000) has also 9 branched dorsal-fin rays, at least in some individuals (Román-Valencia, 2002). Bryconamericus bayano is phylogenetically related to Bryconamericus emperador and B. scleroparius according to Román-Valencia & Vanegas-Ríos (2009). Although that hypothesis was based only in a molecular Maximum Likelihood approach and they did not propose synapomorphies relating these species, it constitute the single reference about the relationships of B. bayano . According to the results obtained herein and considering the hypothesis of Román-Valencia & Vanegas-Ríos (2009), it is possible that Eretmobrycon should have to be resurrected to include not only B. bayano but also B. scleroparius and close relatives.