Lasiancistrus wiwa, Poveda-Cuellar & Conde-Saldaña & Villa-Navarro & Lujan & Santos, 2023

Poveda-Cuellar, José Luis, Conde-Saldaña, Cristhian Camilo, Villa-Navarro, Francisco Antonio, Lujan, Nathan K. & Santos, Jorge Abdala Dergam dos, 2023, Phylogenetic revision of whisker-cheeked suckermouth catfishes (Loricariidae: Lasiancistrus) from east of the Andes: five species where once there were two, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 199 (3), pp. 688-712 : 707-709

Lasiancistrus wiwa sp.nov.

( Fig. 10 ; Tables 4 and 5 )

ZooBank registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CFD6BE50-DED5-4D3F-ABD5-E033971B592D .

Holotype: CZUT-IC 17449 (c&s), 79.6 mm SL; Colombia, La Guajira Department, Ranchería River at Manantial de Cañaverales , 10°45 ʹ 01.0 ″ N, 72°50 ʹ 30.0 ″ W, 281 m a.s.l.; 14 March 2017; Conde-Saldaña, C.

Paratypes: All from Colombia, La Guajira Department, Rancheria River basin:CZUTIC 17432, two individuals, 65.6–72.5 mm SL, RancheriaRiver , 10°57 ʹ 02.0 ″ N, 73°03 ʹ 05.0 ″ W ; CZUTIC 17436, one, 36.5 mm SL, río Ranchería , 10°57 ʹ 02.0 ″ N, 73°03 ʹ 05.0 ″ W ; CZUTIC 17449, six, 31.4–79.6 mm SL, Ranchería River at Manantial de Cañaverales , 10°45 ʹ 01.0 ″ N, 72°50 ʹ 30.0 ″ W ; CZUTIC 17469, four, 34.3–67.7 mm SL, Ranchería River , 10°57 ʹ 02.0 ″ N, 73°03 ʹ 05.0 ″ W ; CZUTIC 17478, three, 81.5– 86.9 mm SL, same data as holotype; CZUTIC 17484, two, 37.3– 38.5 mm SL, El Limon Creek , 10°57 ʹ 13.0 ″ N, 73°03 ʹ 53.0 ″ W ; CZUTIC 17512, two, 53.9–59.1 mm SL, Ranchería River , 10°58 ʹ 08.0 ″ N, 73°04 ʹ 26.0 ″ W ; CZUTIC 17525, three, 30.4– 71.0 mm SL, Ranchería River. IAvH P-38, four, 43–82 mm SL, Río Ranchería , 11°33 ʹ 0 ″ N, 73°36 ʹ 0 ″ W ; IAvH P-13970, one, 158 mm SL, Río Ranchería , 11°33 ʹ 0 ″ N, 73°36 ʹ 0 ″ W .

Diagnosis: Lasiancistrus wiwa differs from all trans-Andean congeners except L.guacharote by having the parieto-supraoccipital posterior margin not posteromedially projected (vs. posteromedially projected; Fig. 5 ) and posterior margin of urohyal V-shaped (vs. rounded; Fig. 7 ), and from L. guacharote by lacking abdominal plates(vs. abdomen with patch of plates medial to pectoral-fin spine insertion). Moreover, L. wiwa differs from L. mayoloi by having the head with a dark brown reticulated colour paưern (vs. head covered by small light brown spots) and the snout rounded (vs. pointed; Fig. 5 ), from L. volcanensis by having the dorsal rim of the orbit slightly elevated above the interorbital space (vs. dorsal rim of orbit level with interorbital space), the abdominal region pyriform (vs. rectangular; Fig. 6 ) and having seven ribs (vs. eight), from L. caucanus by having the parieto-supraoccipital posterior margin not posteromedially projected (vs. posteromedially projected; Fig. 5 ), the posterior margin of the urohyal V-shaped (vs. rounded; Fig. 7 ) and the suture between the parieto-supraoccipital and compound pterotic concave (vs. straight; Fig. 5 ).

Description: Morphometrics are provided in Table 4 , meristics in Table 5 . Abdomen naked. Body broadest anteriorly, greatest body width at cleithrum. Dorsal profile gently ascending from snout to supraoccipital, flat to dorsal fin, gently descending in a straight line to dorsal procurrent caudal-fin rays, then slightly ascending to dorsal caudal-fin insertion. Ventral profile flat from snout to ventral caudal-fin insertion. Robust caudal peduncle almost triangular in cross-section: flaưened ventrally, with flattened flanks converging to slightly acute dorsum.

Twenty-four median plates (mode = 24); three predorsal plates; six plates along dorsal-fin base; seven plates between dorsal and adipose fins; five plates between adipose and caudal fins; 10 or 11 plates between anal and caudal fins (mode = 10); three horizontal series of lateral plates on caudal peduncle. Parieto-supraoccipital level with nuchal region.

Nuchal plate small and curved posterolaterally. Snout slightly rounded. Eye small (orbit diameter 17.8 ± 1.4% of head length); dorsal rim of orbit slightly elevated above interorbital space. Interorbital space flat. Iris operculum present. Frontals, infraorbital, nasals, opercles, pterotics, sphenotics and supraoccipital supporting odontodes.Cheek odontodes robust and sharp (mode = 18, N = 24).

Whisker-like odontodes present among evertible cheek odontodes and occasionally at anterolateral corner of the snout and oriented ~90° from the head. Distal pectoral-fin spine odontodes slightly hypertrophied. Odontodes on lateral plates not enlarged to form keels. Lips covered with minute hemispherical papillae; papillae larger near mouth. Lower lip wide, reaching almost to pectoral girdle; upper lip narrow.Maxillary barbel short, not reaching gill opening. Teeth bicuspid; 25–80 less dentary teeth (mode = 52); 26–61 less premaxillary teeth (mode = 47).

Dorsal-fin origin positioned slightly anterior to vertical through pelvic-fin insertion. Dorsal-fin spine shorter than snout length; last dorsal-fin ray reaching first or second preadipose plate when depressed. Adipose-fin spine curved, stout, not embedded; membrane present, easily visible beneath spine. Pectoral-fin spine reaching almost one-third or middle of pelvic fin when adpressed. Pelvic-fin spine reaching to middle of anal fin when adpressed. Unbranched anal-fin ray slightly shorter than first branched ray. Caudal fin slightly forked; ventral lobe longer than dorsal lobe. Tiny odontodes present on body plates and all fin spines and rays. Dorsal fin i,7; caudal fin i,14,i; pectoral fin i,6; pelvic fin i,5; anal fin i,5. Twenty six vertebrae (N = 2). Seven ribs (N = 2).

Etymology: Wiwa is a noun in apposition, referring to indigenous peoples who live in what is now northern Cesar Department and southern La Guajira Department, Colombia. The Wiwa have been displaced to between 900 and 2500 m a.s.l. in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and their population currently numbers <14 000 people.

Coloration in alcohol: Body typically light brown, with or without wavy stripes. Head moưled to reticulated with dark brown mottled patches; some patches merge to form bands, and patches are smaller in the snout region and bigger in the posterior region of the head. Ventral surface light brown. Dorsal fin and spine with rectangular light brown spots, which merge to form bands. Anal, pelvic and pectoral fins with light brown bands. Caudal fin light brown, except for dark brown band along distal margin. Adipose fin uniformly dark.

Distribution: Lasiancistrus wiwa is known only from the Ranchería River basin in La Guajira Department, northern Colombia ( Fig. 1 ).

Key to trans-Andean species of Lasiancistrus

1. Abdomen with a patch of plates, medial to pectoral-fin spine insertion ............................................................................................... .................................................................................. Lasiancistrus guacharote (Maracaibo Lake basin in Venezuela and Colombia)

1 ʹ. Abdomen without plates...............................................................................................................................................................................2

2. Head covered by small light brown spots; snout narrowly rounded in dorsal view............................................................................ ........ Lasiancistrus mayoloi [Pacific drainages in Colombia (Baudó, San Juan) and Panamá (Bayano, Tuyra), and the Atlantic Atrato River basin in Colombia and Mandinga River basin in Panamá]

2 ʹ. Head with brown reticulated colour paưern; snout broadly rounded in dorsal view.......................................................................3

3. Dorsal rim of orbit level with interorbital space; abdominal region rectangular ( Fig. 6B ); eight ribs............................................ ............................................................................. Lasiancistrus volcanensis (Magdalena River basin, lower Cauca River, Colombia)

3 ʹ. Dorsal rim of orbit slightly elevated above interorbital space; abdominal region pyriform ( Fig. 6A, D ); seven ribs................4

4. Parieto-supraoccipital posterior margin not posteromedially projected ( Fig. 5D ); suture between parieto-supraoccipital and compound pterotic concave; posterior margin of urohyal rounded V-shaped .................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................ Lasiancistrus wiwa (Ranchería River basin, Colombia)

4 ʹ. Parieto-supraoccipital posterior margin posteromedially projected ( Fig. 5A ); suture between parieto-supraoccipital and compound pterotic straight; posterior margin of urohyal rounded ................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... Lasiancistrus caucanus (upper Cauca River basin, Colombia)

Figures

Figure 1. Geographical distributions of trans-Andean species of Lasiancistrus individuals and species examined in this study. Key:purple stars, Lasiancistrus caucanus; orange triangles, Lasiancistrus guacharote; green circles, Lasiancistrus mayoloi; red diamonds, Lasiancistrus volcanensis; yellow squares, Lasiancistrus wiwa.

Figure 5. Dorsal view of anterior portion of body.A, Lasiancistrus caucanus, CZUTIC12434, 98.83 mm standard length (SL). B, Lasiancistrus volcanensis, CZUTIC5898, 83.59 mm SL. C, Lasiancistrus mayoloi, CZUTIC21345, 91.68 mm SL.D, Lasiancistrus wiwa, CZUTIC17449, 79.55 mm SL. Abbreviations: F, frontal; PT, compound pterotic; SO, parieto-supraoccipital; SP, sphenotic. Scale bars:10 mm.

Figure 6. Ventral view of abdominal region.A, Lasiancistrus caucanus, CZUT-IC 12434, 98.83 mm standard length (SL). B, Lasiancistrus volcanensis, CZUT-IC 5898, 83.59 mm SL.C, Lasiancistrus mayoloi, CZUT-IC 21345, 91.68 mm SL. D, Lasiancistrus wiwa, CZUT-IC 17449, 79.55 mm SL. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 7. Urohyal (UH) and hypohyals (HH) in ventral view. A, Lasiancistrus wiwa, CZUTIC17449, 79.55 mm standard length (SL). B, Lasiancistrus caucanus, CZUTIC12434, 98.83 mm SL. C, Lasiancistrus volcanensis, CZUTIC5898, 83.59 mm SL. D, Lasiancistrus mayoloi, CZUTIC21345, 91.68 mm SL. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Figure 10. Holotype of Lasiancistrus wiwa, CZUTIC17449, 79.6 mm standard length, from Colombia, Departamento de La Guajira, Ranchería River basin, Manantial Cañaverales. Scale bar: 10 mm.