Aspidoras gabrieli Wosiacki, Pereira & Reis, 2014

Tencatt, Luiz Fernando Caserta, Britto, Marcelo R., Isbrücker, Isaäc Jan Hendrik & Pavanelli, Carla Simone, 2022, Taxonomy of the armored catfish genus Aspidoras (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) revisited, with the description of a new species, Neotropical Ichthyology (e 220040) 20 (3), pp. 1-159 : 74-75

Aspidoras gabrieli Wosiacki, Pereira & Reis, 2014

Aspidoras gabrieli Wosiacki, Pereira & Reis, 2014:309‒316 (original description; type locality: unnamed tributary to the left bank of the rio Parauapebas , tributary to the right bank of the rio Itacaiúnas , Pará State , Brazil). — Leão et al., 2015:585 (listed as comparative material). — Tencatt, Bichuette, 2017:21 (listed as comparative material).

Diagnosis. Aspidoras gabrieli can be distinguished from its congeners, with exception of A. albater , A. aldebaran , and A. lakoi , by having inner laminar expansion of infraorbital 1 extremely well developed (vs. well developed in A. azaghal , A. depinnai , A. fuscoguttatus ; moderately or well developed in A. poecilus ; moderately developed in A. belenos , A. maculosus , A. mephisto , and A. raimundi ; poorly developed in A. psammatides and A. velites ); from A. aldebaran plus A. depinnai , A. poecilus , A. psammatides , A. raimundi , and A. velites by presenting relatively wide frontal bone, with width equal to or slightly larger than half of entire length (vs. narrow, with width slightly smaller than half of entire length in A. aldebaran , A. depinnai , A. poecilus , A. raimundi , and A. velites ; extremely narrow, with width conspicuously smaller than half of entire length in A. psammatides ); from A. albater by having smoothly furcate caudal fin (vs. acutely furcate), and dorsolateral body plates on predorsal region more distant from their counterparts (vs. dorsolateral body plates touching or closer to their counterparts); from A. lakoi it differs by the absence of a pointed process on anterodorsal portion of infraorbital 1 (vs. presence of such process).

Conservation status. Aspidoras gabrieli is currently known from tributaries of the rio Paraupebas, lower rio Tocantins basin, Serra dos Carajás, Pará State. Although its known geographical distribution is relatively restricted, A. gabrieli was described based on a conspicuously large type series, indicating that the species is abundant in its natural habitat. Also, no threat to the species is currently suspected. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN) categories and criteria (IUCN Standards and Petitions Subcommittee, 2019), Aspidoras gabrieli can be classified as Least Concern (LC).

Remarks. Aspidoras gabrieli was described based mainly on two diagnostic features: (I) rays and interradial membranes of the dorsal and pectoral fins densely pigmented, from base to tip in young individuals, with a gradual reduction in pigmentation on the fin tips over the course of ontogeny, though the base remains densely pigmented in larger individuals, and (II) inner bony margin of the pectoral spine expanded as a narrow laminar shelf with edge smooth or scarcely serrated. However, both features can also be observed in some A. albater specimens ( Figs. 14A,B , 15C ), which made it necessary to prepare a new diagnosis (see above). Despite A. gabrieli being remarkably similar to A. albater and also occurring in the rio Tocantins basin, at least two diagnostic features distinguish A. gabrieli from A. albater (see Diagnosis), and therefore it remains considered valid herein.

Material examined. All from Brazil, Pará , rio Parauapebas basin. MNRJ 51724 , 2 of 4, 20.4–22.4 mm SL, 2 CS of 4, 27.0– 27.8 mm SL, Floresta Nacional de Carajás, Paraupebas. MPEG 17394 , 5 of 139, paratypes, 16.2–26.3 mm SL, unnamed tributary to the left bank of the rio Parauapebas .

Figures

FIGURE 14 | Dorsal view of pectoral spines in CS specimens of Aspidoras albater, showing variation in the morphology of pectoral-fin spine: presence of laminar expansion and simple and/or bifid poorly- and/or moderately-developed serrations on its posterior margin in (A) and (B) (MZUSP 114401, 30.1 mm SL and MNRJ 13080, 30.9 mm SL, respectively), (C) with only simple poorly-developed serrations on its posterior margin (LIRP 4472, 29.4 mm SL), (D) with only simple and/or bifid poorly-developed serrations on its posterior margin (MNRJ 12779, 31.3 mm SL), or (E) with only simple and/or bifid moderatelydeveloped serrations on its posterior margin (MNRJ 12581, 31.1 mm SL). Arrows in (A) indicate the small laminar expansions at the base of branched rays. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURE 15 | Aspidoras albater specimens photographed alive. (A) uncataloged aquarium specimen from the rio Araguaia basin, (B) specimen from the rio Muquém, rio Tocantins basin (MZUSP 114357, not measured), (C) uncatalogued aquarium specimens from the rio Araguaia basin, (D) uncatalogued aquarium specimen from Mato Grosso, possibly from the rio Paraguay basin, and (E) specimen from a stream with unknown name tributary to the rio Tocantins basin (LBP 19312, 27.6 mm SL). Photos by Ingo Seidel (A), José Birindelli (B), Hans Evers (C, D), and Martin Taylor (E).