Bryconops chernoffi

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Bryconops chernoffi
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Characiformes
Family: Iguanodectidae
Genus: Bryconops
Species:
B. chernoffi
Binomial name
Bryconops chernoffi

Bryconops chernoffi is a species of freshwater fish that inhabits the rivers of Brazil. Specifically, it is found in the Rio Maicuru and Rio Ipixuna; the latter is a tributary of the former, which is a tributary of the Amazon river main. B. chernoffi demonstrates a preference for clear-water streams with sandy and rocky bottoms.

Contents

Bryconops chernoffi is one of the more recent contributions to the genus, and is named after Professor Barry Chernoff, an American ichthyologist responsible for many contributions to the knowledge of the genus Bryconops . It is known to peacefully live alongside various other freshwater fish.

Description

Bryconops chernoffi ranges from 3.86–7.59 cm SL (standard length), with a holotype 5.96 cm SL. [1] This places it slightly to the smaller side of average for a member of Bryconops, as fish therein are usually between 6 and 8 inches SL. [2] It has a somewhat convex underside, with the deepest point of its body located just in front of the origin of the dorsal fin. [3]

The body is generally dark-gray, with a silvery belly and silvery region around the eye; the dark-gray portions retain prominence when a specimen is preserved in alcohol. [1] The snout and mouth are a light brown color. There may be some red coloration on the forward portion of the dorsal fin, which is otherwise dark; [4] a dark dorsal fin is only otherwise seen in congener Bryconops piracolina when it comes to features of Bryconops as a genus. [1]

Bryconops chernoffi bears similarities to several congeners, but has some features that can be used to differentiate it. One thing unique to B. chernoffi in the genus Bryconops is a streak of dark pigmentation along the location of the cleithrum (a bone that could be compared to a shoulder blade, found spanning from the pectoral fin to the top of the cranium). [1] Such a marking is rare even amongst Characiformes as a whole. B. chernoffi is similar to B. allisoni , but has fewer predorsal scales (8-9 vs. 10-12, respectively). [5] Congener B. rheoruber has the same number of predorsal scales, but is dissimilar in that it has fewer teeth. [6]

Taxonomy

Named in 2018, B. chernoffi has retained its original designation as a member of Bryconops. [7] [8] It belongs to the subgenus Creatochanes, one of the two subgenera; [3] the other subgenus is the nominal Bryconops. It has a place in Creatochanes due to the bony and well-denticulated gill rakers, plus the presence of 1-3 teeth on either side of the maxillae. [1]

To compare, members of the Bryconops subgenus have no teeth on the maxillae, rarely one, and the gill rakers are poorly-denticulated. [9] This is part of why B. chernoffi and B. rheoruber can be told apart; B. rheoruber is a part of subgenus Bryconops. [6]

Etymology

The specific name "chernoffi" honors Professor Barry Chernoff, an American ichthyologist with many contributions to the knowledge of Bryconops and to ichthyology as a field. [10] He has described or co-authored original descriptions of various species of Bryconops. Chernoff is aware of his namesake, and learned of it via what he thought was a "junk email" that turned out to be a notification of a new species. He has written to the authors of the original description to thank them for their homage, saying it is "the honor of a lifetime". [4]

Distribution and ecology

Bryconops chernoffi was originally collected from the Rio Maicuru, a tributary of the Amazon River main. [1] Specifically, it was collected from a small pool in the Rio Ipixuna, which is itself a tributary of the Maicuru. [4] It demonstrates a preference for clear waters over a substrate of sand and/or rocks. Little else is known of its behavior or habits.

Conservation status

Bryconops chernoffi has not been evaluated by the IUCN. There is protection in place around parts of its natural environment in the form of two ecological and biological reserves that the Maicuru river passes through, the Maicuru and Grão-Pará. [11] These areas were legally codified as recently as 2006, offering B. chernoffi not only environmental protection but precedent for the establishment of further biological reserves that may cover the rest of its territory. [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Bryconops</i> Genus of fishes

Bryconops is a genus of freshwater fish in the family Iguanodectidae from South America. It consists of small fish, all under half-a-foot long, with slender bodies and silvery scales, though there is some mild color variation. Several species can be identified by way of a humeral patch, and others have a reddish ocellus, or eyespot, on one or both lobes of the dorsal fin.

<i>Bryconops alburnoides</i> Species of fish

Bryconops alburnoides is a small freshwater fish, approximately 6 inches long at its largest, that lives in the rivers of South America. It has a slender body, with a yellowish dorsal fin and yellow-tinged back scales that fade into silver on its belly. It is largely an insectivore that picks land-dwelling insects from the riverbanks, though it eats much more whenever rain washes prey into the water.

<i>Bryconops collettei</i> Species of fish

Bryconops collettei is a small freshwater fish from the rivers of South America. It is mostly silvery, with notable green iridescence on its sides, and a diffuse ocellus (eyespot) on the upper lobe of the caudal fin. Before its distinction as a separate species, specimens of B. collettei were misidentified as specimens of Bryconops caudomaculatus due to several morphological similarities, including a caudal ocellus and generally similar fin coloration.

<i>Bryconops cyrtogaster</i> Species of fish

Bryconops cyrtogaster is a midsize species of freshwater fish found in the Oyapock river in French Guiana and Brazil. It is overall silver, with an indistinct dark patch at the base of the tail fin that spreads onto the fin rays slightly. Originally described in 1926 under a different baisonym, it was the subject of a redescription in June 2020.

Bryconops durbinae, sometimes listed under the name Bryconops durbini, is a small species of freshwater fish in the family Iguanodectidae. It is the smallest species of the genus Bryconops, and is endemic to the Tapajós river basin in Brazil.

<i>Bryconops giacopinii</i> Species of fish

Bryconops giacopinii is a mid-sized species of freshwater fish in the family Iguanodectidae. It is the largest member of the genus Bryconops, and is therefore difficult to confuse with any of its congeners. With a diet that consists largely of land-dwelling insects, it serves as an important link between the terrestrial and aquatic aspects of its native range.

<i>Bryconops gracilis</i> Species of fish

Bryconops gracilis is a small species of freshwater fish from the rivers of South America. It is one of multiple species for which the common name "lambari" is used. Though not well-studied, it has been re-described in recent years in order to differentiate it from Bryconops alburnoides, a congener to which it bears a strong resemblance.

Bryconops humeralis is a small freshwater fish distributed across northern South America. The name "humeralis" means "relating to the shoulder", in reference to the distinct humeral patches that the fish sports. It is slightly longer than average in terms of the genus Bryconops, though still firmly within the standard range, and is slightly more slender than is usual for its congeners.

Bryconops inpai is a small freshwater fish native to the rivers of South America. It only lives in two particular river systems - the Casiquiare and Negro - which means that its range is restricted to the northern half of the continent. It has indistinct humeral spots, and is bluish-silver in life, which is unusual for members of Bryconops; they are more often plain silver or greenish-silver.

Bryconops munduruku is a small freshwater fish of the family Iguanodectidae that lives in the rivers of South America. Its adipose fin is black, with a clear base, and it has two humeral spots, which is a feature it shares with few congeners. Its fins are a variety of yellow, red, black, and clear, and mature males have hooks on select fin-rays.

<i>Bryconops piracolina</i> Species of fish

Bryconops piracolina is a small fish that inhabits the waters of Brazil. It is slender and silvery in color, like many fish in Bryconops, but can be distinguished from other members by way of its dorsal fin, which has a black patch of color extending up from the fin-base; congeners usually have light pigment in the dorsal fin, or a brighter color.

<i>Bryconops tocantinensis</i> Species of fish

Bryconops tocantinensis is a small freshwater fish from the rivers of Brazil. It has yellow-gold scales on its back and white scales on its belly, with a bright-silver stripe marking the divide between the two. It gets the name "tocantinensis" from its endemism to the upper Tocantins basin drainage - specifically, the Conceição River.

<i>Bryconops transitoria</i> Species of fish

Bryconops transitoria is a small freshwater fish that lives in the rivers of South America. It is a poorly-studied member of the genus Bryconops with few records and vague distribution accounts, though it is believed to be endemic to the Rio Tapajós. It was originally thought to be a subspecies of congener Bryconops melanurus, but is now accepted as its own species.

Bryconops vibex is a small freshwater fish from the rivers of Venezuela, known solely from the Rio Cataniapo. The body is slender, though with an element of sturdiness, and it has one humeral spot by each pectoral fin. It bears visual similarities to several congeners, but can be differentiated by way of many factors.

Bryconops allisoni is a species of freshwater fish known from the rivers of Brazil. It is a recent addition to the genus (2019), currently considered a member incertae sedis. Its name honors Antonio Machado-Allison, an ichthyologist responsible for a great deal of work on the genus Bryconops.

<i>Bryconops florenceae</i> Species of fish

Bryconops florenceae is a small freshwater fish that inhabits the rivers of South America. Comprehensive research is lacking due to B. florenceae being the most recently described of the genus, but researchers believe it to be a relatively widespread species. It is found throughout the Maroni, Mana, and Sinnamary river basins, which defines its range within Suriname and French Guiana.

Bryconops hexalepis is a small iguanodectid fish from the rivers of Brazil. It is solely found in the drainage of the Rio Tocantins. Rather elongate and quite slender, it is considered one of the smaller species of its genus, with tall scales and large eyes.

Bryconops marabaixo is a small freshwater fish from the lower Amazon basin, native to the Rio Jari. It is small and silvery, with a dark-gray back, and its fins are mostly clear, though the caudal fin has a dark stripe on the lower margin of the dorsal lobe, and a spot of red pigment just above that. Like many other members of Bryconops, it has a humeral spot, which is a mark near each pectoral fin.

Bryconops rheoruber is a species of freshwater fish from the rivers of Brazil. Its back scales are tan-to-cream, and its belly is silvery; the divide between the two colors is marked by a broad iridescent-silver stripe. Its fins are a mixture of pale, clear, and reddish, which contributed to its specific name. "Rheo" means "flow" or "current" in Greek, and "ruber" means "red" in Latin.

Bryconops sapezal is a small freshwater fish native to the Rio Tapajós basin of Brazil. It is one of the more recent additions to its genus, described in 2018, and has a name that means "covered in sapê", or thatching. This originates from the Sapezal municipality of Mato Grosso, Brazil, which is type locality of B. sapezal.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Silva-Oliveira, Cárlison; Lima, Flávio C. T.; Bogotá-Gregory, J. D. (November 2018). "A new species of Bryconops Kner (Characiformes: Iguanodectidae) from the Rio Maicuru, lower Amazon basin, Brazil". Zootaxa. 4514 (3): 372–382. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4514.3.4. PMID   30486203. S2CID   54164187 . Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  2. ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2022). Species of Bryconops in FishBase . November 2022 version.
  3. 1 2 "Bryconops chernoffi, Silva-Oliveira & Lima & Bogotá-Gregory, 2018". Plazi TreatmentBank. Plazi. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Hughes, Emmy (19 April 2019). "Species of Fish, Bryconops chernoffi, Named for University Professor". The Wesleyan Argus. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  5. ↑ Silva-Oliveira, Cárlison; Canto, André L. C.; Ribeiro, Frank R. V. (23 July 2019). "A new tailspot tetra of the genus Bryconops (Teleostei: Iguanodectidae) from the lower rio Tapajós basin, Brazil". Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. 1087. doi:10.23788/IEF-1087 . Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  6. 1 2 Silva-Oliveira, Cárlison; Sabaj, Mark Henry; Ota, Rafaela Priscila; Py-Daniel, Lúcia H. Rapp (6 June 2019). "Bryconops rheorubrum (Characiformes: Iguanodectidae), new species from the Rio Xingu Rapids, Brazil". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 166 (1): 1. doi:10.1635/053.166.0115. S2CID   210640024 . Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  7. ↑ "Bryconops chernoffi Silva-Oliveira, Lima & Bogotá-Gregory, 2018". GBIF. Global Biodiversity Information System. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  8. ↑ Bailly, Nicolas. "Bryconops chernoffi Silva-Oliveira, Lima & Bogotá-Gregory, 2018". World Register of Marine Species. Flanders Marine Institute. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  9. ↑ Chernoff, Barry; Machado-Allison, Antonio (31 December 2005). "Bryconops". doi:10.5281/zenodo.6265593.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ↑ Scharpf, Christopher; Lazara, Kenneth J. (15 September 2020). "Order CHARACIFORMES: Families IGUANODECTIDAE, TRIPORTHEIDAE, BRYCONIDAE, CHALCEIDAE and GASTEROPELECIDAE". The ETYFish Project. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  11. ↑ Aleixo, Alexandre et al. Notes on the Vertebrates of northern Pará, Brazil: a forgotten part of the Guianan Region, II. Avifauna. Bol. Mus. Para. Emilio Goeldi Cienc. Nat. [online]. 2011, vol.6, n.1, pp.11-65. ISSN 1981-8114.
  12. ↑ Taitson, Bruno; Guazzelli, Ana Cíntia (4 December 2006). "New protected areas boost Amazon conservation". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
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