Bagre

Alexandre P. Marceniuk & Naércio A. Menezes, 2007, Systematics of the family Ariidae (Ostariophysi, Siluriformes), with a redefinition of the genera., Zootaxa 1416, pp. 1-126 : 24-26

Bagre Cloquet, 1816

(fig. 14)

Bagre Cloquet, 1816: 52. Type species: Silurus bagre Linnaeus, 1766. Type by absolute tautonymy. Gender: masculine.

Bagre Oken, 1817: 1183. Type species: Silurus bagre Linnaeus, 1766. Type by absolute tautonymy. Gender: masculine.

Glanis Spix & Agassiz, 1829: 46. Type species: Silurus bagre Linnaeus, 1766. Type by subsequent designation by Kottelat(1988). Gender: Masculine.

Stearopterus Minding, 1832: 116. Type species: Stearopterus bagre Minding, 1832. Type by monotypy. Gender: masculine.

Breviceps Swainson, 1838: 328 and 343 (pre-occupied in Merrem, 1820). Type species: Silurus bagre Bloch, 1794. Type by monotypy. Gender: neuter.

Felichthys Swainson, 1839: 305. Type species: Silurus bagre Bloch, 1794. Type by being a replacement name. Replacement for Breviceps Swainson, 1838. Gender: masculine.

Ailurichthys Baird & Girard, 1854: 26. Type species: Silurus marinus Mitchill, 1815. Type by subsequent designation by Jordan & Evermann (1896). Gender: masculine.

Mystus Gray, 1854: 155 (pre-occupied in Scopoli, 1777). Type species: Mystus carolinensis Gronow, 1854. Type by subsequent designation by Jordan & Evermann (1896). Gender: masculine.

Anemanotus Fowler, 1944: 171. Type species: Ailurichthys panamensis Gill, 1863. Type by original designation. Originally a subgenus of Ailurichthys . Gender: masculine.

Diagnosis. The following exclusive (1 to 13) and shared (14 to 26) characters distinguishes Bagre from the remaining ariid genera: (1) about half of anterior cranial fontanel limited by posterior branches of mesethmoid (fig. 15); (2) anterior infraorbital shaped like number seven (fig. 16); (3) posterior infraorbital conspicuously curved medially (fig. 16); (4) lower end of subvertebral process rounded; (5) maxillary long and thin (fig. 17); (6) maxillary condyles well developed (fig. 17); (7) palatine claviform, anteriorly very broad (fig. 18); (8) lower part of palatine with a bony crest (fig. 18); (9) anterior process of metapterygoid very large (fig. 19); (10) third basibranchial hourglass shaped its posterior portion shorter and wider than anterior; (11) second dorsal process of cleithrum on inferior part of lateral face of this bone (fig. 20); (12) maxillary barbel compressed, tape-like; (13) one pair of mental barbells; (14) lachrymal with two anterior and one mesial branches (fig. 21) (shared with Batrachocephalus ); (15) occipital process ventral crest developed through the entire length of the process (shared with Amphiarius , Aspistor , Cathorops , Cephalocassis , Cinetodus , Hemiarius , Nedystoma , Nemapteryx , Pachyula and Sciades platypogon ); (16) contact face between transcapular process and basioccipital wide and depressed (shared with Amphiarius , Arius gagora , A. maculatus , A. manillensis , Aspistor , Cathorops , Cryptarius , Doiichthys , Nedystoma , Nemapteryx , Notarius , Plicofollis platystomus and Potamosilurus latirostris ); (17) parasphenoid wing process very long and thin [shared with Amphiarius , Aspistor , Cathorops (with exception of C. dasycephalus ), Cochlefelis , Hemiarius , Notarius (with exception of N. planiceps ), Pachyula , Plicofollis platystomus , Potamarius , Potamosilurus (with exception of P. velutinus ), Sciades emphysetus , S. passany and S. proops ]; (18) face for articulation between palatine and lateral ethmoid slightly displaced to the anterior portion of former bone (fig. 18) (shared with Doiichthys ); (19) tip of urohyal medial process bifid (fig. 22) (shared with Doiichthys ); (20) urohyal lateral processes as long as or longer than medial process (fig. 22) (shared with Potamarius ); (21) transversal crest associated with neural spine of fourth vertebra very high (shared with Amphiarius , Batrachocephalus , Cathorops , Cinetodus , Cryptarius , Ketengus , Hemiarius , Nemapteryx , Nedystoma , Notarius planiceps , Osteogeneiosus , Pachyula and Sciades platypogon ); (22) median crest associated with neural spine of third vertebra very high (shared with Amphiarius , Aspistor , Cathorops , Cephalocassis , Cinetodus , Hemiarius , Nedystoma , Nemapteryx , Pachyula and Sciades platypogon ); (23) more than 39 caudal vertebrae (shared with Cochlefelis ); (24) base of adipose fin very short, less than one-half as long as anal-fin base [shared with Brustiarius , Cathorops , Cryptarius , Netuma and Plicofollis (with exception of P. platystomus )]; (25) pectoral-fin spine prolonged as a tape-like filament (shared with Arius madagascariensis ); (26) lateral line bifurcated at caudal region (shared with Arius , Batrachocephalus , Ketengus , Netuma , Osteogeneiosus , Plicofollis and Sciades couma ).

Supplementary morphological characters. Cephalic shield smooth, covered by muscle and scarcely visible under the skin; a well developed fenestra limited by frontal and lateral ethmoid bones visible under the skin, but sometimes obliterated by superficial ossifications; medial groove of neurocranium not very distinct, limited by frontal bones and/or on supraoccipital; posterior cranial fontanel very reduced in small specimens, sometimes completely closed in large adult specimens; fenestra limited by supraoccipital, pterotic and sphenotic absent; fossa limited by pterotic, supracleithrum and extrascapular varying in size; epioccipital not invading dorsal portion of cephalic shield; occipital process short, progressively narrower toward its posterior part; anterior and median nuchal plates fused, indistinct (except in B. bagre ) forming a structure of semi-lunar aspect; vomerine tooth plates present and transversely elongate; accessory tooth plates narrow and transversely elongate, bearing conical teeth; maxillary barbel basally bony, fleshy for remaining part of its length and compressed in form of tape; a single pair of mental barbels; base of adipose fin very short, less than onehalf length of anal-fin base; lateral line bifurcated at caudal region, reaching base of caudal-fin upper and lower lobes; cleithrum wide with second dorsal process on its lower portion; posterior cleithral process moderately long and distinct from second dorsal process of cleithrum.

Remarks. The genera Bagre Cloquet, 1816, Bagre Oken, 1817, Glanis , Stearopterus , Breviceps non Merrem, 1820, Felichthys , Mystus non Scopoli, 1777 were established based on the same type-species, Silurus bagre Linnaeus, 1766 and are therefore objective synonyms (Code of Zoological Nomenclature, article 61b).

Ailurichthys and Anemanotus , represented respectively by the type-species, Silurus marinus Mitchill, 1815 and Aelurichthys panamensis Gill, 1863, are subjective synonyms. The nominal genus Breviceps Swainson, 1838 and Mystus Gray, 1854 are invalid since the names are pre-occupied. Breviceps was replaced by Felichthys Swainson, 1839.

Distribution and habitat. Eastern and western America, predominantly marine waters, but also in brackish waters.