Bryconops giacopinii

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

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.

Contents

Description

Bryconops giacopinii reaches 18 cm (7 in) long in total length (with the tail fin included), [1] which makes it the longest member of its genus. [2] A close contender is the type species of Bryconops , B. alburnoides , which reaches 15 cm (6 in) in standard length (tail fin left out). [3] B. giacopinii is a deep-bodied and robust fish, with silvery scales and a well-defined caudal ocellus (eyespot on the tail) in yellow or orange. [4]

Bryconops giacopinii bears a notable resemblance to Bryconops caudomaculatus , which was remarked upon in its original description. [5] The original also notes that B. giacopinii, under its basionym Autanichthys giacopinni, may have had some alliance with the fish genus Deuterodon , based on morphological properties. [5] [6]

Bryconops giacopinii has 43 to 46 pored lateral line scales. [7] The lateral line itself is rather obscure, which is a feature that can be used to differentiate it from other species of Bryconops. [4] It can also be told apart from several of its congeners by the fact that it lacks a humeral spot, which is a distinct mark that occurs above or near the pectoral fin in many fish species, including more than one species of Bryconops. [8]

The head makes up about a quarter of the total length, with the eye taking up a little less than half the length of the head. [4] The maxillary teeth are in a set of five, all multicuspid, and the premaxillary teeth are in a set of four, all tricuspid. [5] The original description notes that the posterior portion of the dentary (the lower jaw bone that bears dentition) lacks a set of minute, conical teeth seen in related genera, but modern reexamination counters this with the confirmed presence of teeth; the inside of the mouth is simply very fleshy, and the minute teeth often need to be manually exposed. [4]

Taxonomy

When first described by Venezuelan ichthyologist Agustín Fernández-Yépez in 1950, Bryconops giacopinii was named Autanichthys giacopinni. [9] The specific epithet, giacopinii, honors Fernández-Yépez's friend Jose A. Giacopini. [5] In 1994, Chernoff et al. determined by way of morphology that A. giacopinni's true position was in the genus Bryconops, redesignating it as Bryconops giacopinii. [4] Autanichthys, with no other members, was thus synonymized with Bryconops. [10] (Several of Fernández-Yépez's discoveries have since received the same treatment, with others under review.) [9]

When Fernández-Yépez's initial description was reviewed and the type specimens were sought out, it was determined that they had apparently been lost. [4] Originally part of Fernández-Yépez's private ichthyological collection, Fernández-Yépez himself wrote that he intended to send several specimens to various museums, but consulting said museums yielded no results. [4] Therefore, a neotype was designated upon redescription in 1994. [11]

There are two subgenera in the genus Bryconops: Bryconops and Creatochanes. [6] Bryconops giacopinii belongs to the subgenus Creatochanes along with ten others, making its full scientific name Bryconops (Creatochanes) giacopinii. [12] Others in Creatochanes include B. colanegra , B. colaroja, B. affinis , and B. melanurus ; [8] [13] Members of the subgenus Bryconops include B. collettei , B. durbinae , B. caudomaculatus , and B. disruptus . [12]

Upon its original description and for some time after, Bryconops giacopinii was considered a member of the family Tetragonopteridae [5] (which has since been synonymized with the subfamily Tetragonopterinae). [14] However, research in 2011 by Oliveira et al. determined that the genus Bryconops, alongside the genera Iguanodectes and Piabucus , should all be moved to the family Iguanodectidae, revived from the earlier work of German-American ichthyologist Carl H. Eigenmann. [15] [16] Thus, B. giacopinii is currently considered an iguanodectid. [17]

Distribution and habitat

Bryconops giacopinii is known largely from the Autana river, in the upper drainage of the Orinoco river. [1] The genus given in its baisonym, Autanichthys, is in reference to this, as it is where the holotype was collected. [5] Its larger range is the Autana-Sipapo river system as a whole, to which it is mostly restricted. [18] However, it has also been collected from the Kakada river, a tributary of the Caura river that, in turn, flows into the Orinoco. [19] Another tributary of the Orinoco, the Vichada river, extends B. giacopinii's range into Colombia. [20]

The Autana river itself is considered an acidic blackwater environment. [21] Blackwater environments have their distinctive color due to the decay of organic matter, such as leaf litter, that leaches tannins into the water. [22] The microbes responsible for this decay consume a large amount of the available dissolved oxygen, [23] which means that B. giacopinii is not a fish with high-oxygen needs; elsewise, it would not be suited to a blackwater habitat.

Conservation status

Though the conservation status of Bryconops giacopinii has not been evaluated by the IUCN, it has been found in the protected Caura National Park, which preserves at least a small portion of its range. [19] However, nearby rivers, such as unprotected segments of the Caura, have been subject to a rise in illegal mining activity in recent years, which threatens to disrupt the environment. [24]

Diet and ecology

Terrestrial insects usually make up a large portion of B. giacopinii's diet, but its eating habits are still considered rather generalist. [25] This flexibility is advantageous, as it occasionally needs to change its food sources if living in the same area as another species with similar prey demands. [26] Nonetheless, its reliance on the forest rather than its aquatic habitat reinforces the link between the two different environments, and the importance of maintaining one to sustain the other. [25] B. giacopinii shares its fondness for terrestrial insects with congener Bryconops alburnoides. [27]

In turn, B. giacopinii is not only preyed upon by larger fishes, but is also subject to parasitic infestations. One such parasite is Ergasilus curticrus , a species of copepod described in 2015 after being found in the gills of B. giacopinii. [28] E. curticrus is currently only known to be hosted by B. giacopinii. [29]

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iguanodectidae</span> Family of fish

Iguanodectidae is a family of freshwater fish in the order Characiformes that lives in South America. It is home to the subfamily Iguanodectinae and the monotypic Bryconops clade. Several species in the family, such as the green line lizard tetra, the tailspot tetra, and the orangefin tetra, are sometimes taken as aquarium fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orangefin tetra</span> Species of fish

The orangefin tetra is a small species of freshwater fish from South America that belongs to the family Iguanodectidae. Though common in its native range, it seems to prefer fast-flowing and shallow creeks. It is an active swimmer that feeds on plant material and various invertebrates, sometimes jumping out of the water to catch prey above the surface.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tailspot tetra</span> Species of fish

The tailspot tetra is a freshwater fish that lives in the coastal river regions of upper South America. Both its common and scientific names reference the distinct spot of color present on the tail fin, which is one of its defining characteristics. It is a small fish, reaching 4.8 in at its longest. Despite its small size, it is an active swimmer, with a preference for fast-flowing waters.

Bryconops colanegra is a small, slender-bodied species of freshwater fish from South America, about 3.5 in long. It has a black tail fin that bears hints of red, and its scales are dark along the back, transitioning to a silver belly. It is endemic to a single river system in Venezuela, the Rio Caroní.

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

Bryconops colaroja is a small species of fish endemic to tributaries and creeks of the Cuyuni River basin in Venezuela. The specific epithet "colaroja" means "red tailed", and it gets this name from its most distinctive feature - a deep red caudal fin, largely unique amongst members of its genus.

<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 disruptus is a small freshwater fish of the family Iguanodectidae. It is only found in the Rio Negro in South America. Like the rest of the genus Bryconops, B. disruptus is silvery in color, with a relatively deep chest and a notable set of teeth. The specific epithet "disruptus" refers to the incomplete lateral line.

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 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 imitator is a small freshwater fish that lives in the rivers of South America. It is a small, silvery fish with a bright red tail fin that is known to eat invertebrates, like insects and freshwater zooplankton.

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.

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

Bryconops magoi is a small species of fish from South America. It is only found in Venezuela, along with sister species Bryconops collettei. Its tail-fin markings help to differentiate it from various congeners, as does its fairly restricted range. It is most closely related to B. collettei and Bryconops caudomaculatus, and it was once considered synonymous with the latter; specimens of B. magoi and B. collettei both were routinely misidentified as B. caudomaculatus before being given species distinction.

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

Bryconops melanurus, sometimes called the tail-light tetra, is a small species of freshwater fish from South America that primarily preys on insects. It lives in small schools and is an active swimmer, which means that it requires open space in its habitat. Nonetheless, it does not demonstrate a strong preference for any one biotope within its native range.

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.

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.

<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.

References

  1. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Bryconops giacopinii" in FishBase . May 2022 version.
  2. ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2022). Species of Bryconops in FishBase . May 2022 version.
  3. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Bryconops alburnoides" in FishBase . May 2022 version.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chernoff, Barry; Buckup, Paulo Andreas; Machado-Allison, Antonio; Royero, Ramiro (1 February 1994). "Systematic Status and Neotype Designation for Autanichthys giacopinii Fernández-Yépez with Comments on the Morphology of Bryconops melanurus (Bloch)". Copeia. 1994 (1): 238–242. doi:10.2307/1446694. JSTOR   1446694 . Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fernandez-Yepez, Agustín (1950). "Algunos peces del Rio Autana". Novedades Cientificas Museo de Historia Natural. 2: 1–18. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  6. 1 2 Wingert, Juliana Mariani; Malabarba, Luiz Roberto (4 April 2011). "Descrição de duas novas espécies de Bryconops (Teleostei: Characidae) da Bacia do Rio Amazonas". hdl:10183/28524 . Retrieved 18 May 2022.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ↑ Guedes, Tharles L. O.; Oliveira, Everton F.; Lucinda, Paulo H. F. (14 March 2016). "A new species of Bryconops (Ostariophysi: Characiformes: Characidae) from the upper rio Tocantins drainage, Brazil". Neotropical Ichthyology. 14 (2). doi: 10.1590/1982-0224-20150176 .
  8. 1 2 Chernoff, Barry; Machado-Allison, Antonio (13 December 2005). "Bryconops magoi and Bryconops collettei (Characiformes: Characidae), two new freshwater fish species from Venezuela, with comments on B. caudomaculatus (Günther)". Zootaxa. 1094 (1): 1. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1094.1.1 . Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  9. 1 2 Machado-Allison, Antonio (27 February 2018). "Contributions to the knowledge of Venezuelan Continental Ichthyology". Venezuelan Biological Act. 26 (1). hdl:10872/17890 . Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  10. ↑ "Autanichthys Fernández-Yépez, 1950". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  11. ↑ Reis, Roberto E.; Kullander, Sven O.; Ferraris, Jr., Carl J. (2003). Check List of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre: Edipucrs. p. 120. ISBN   85-7430-361-5 . Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  12. 1 2 Silva-Oliveira, Cárlison; Canto, André Luiz C.; Ribeiro, Frank Raynner V. (30 July 2015). "Bryconops munduruku (Characiformes: Characidae), a new species of fish from the lower Tapajós River basin, Brazil". Zootaxa. 3994 (1): 133–141. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3994.1.7. PMID   26250264 – via Biotaxa.
  13. ↑ Chernoff, Barry; Machado-Allison, Antonio (23 February 2018). "Bryconops colaroja and B. colanegra, two new species from the Cuyuni and Caroni drainages of South America (Teleostei: Characidae)". Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. 10 (4): 355–370. hdl:10872/17856 . Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  14. ↑ Mirande, Juan Marcos (2010). "Phylogeny of the family Characidae (Teleostei: Characiformes): from characters to taxonomy". Neotropical Ichthyology. 8 (3): 385–568. doi: 10.1590/S1679-62252010000300001 . hdl: 11336/77449 .
  15. ↑ Oliveira, Claudio; Avelino, Gleisy S.; Abe, Kelly T.; Mariguela, Tatiane C.; Benine, Ricardo C.; Ortí, Guillermo; Vari, Richard P.; Corrêa e Castro, Ricardo M. (December 2011). "Phylogenetic relationships within the speciose family Characidae (Teleostei: Ostariophysi: Characiformes) based on multilocus analysis and extensive ingroup sampling". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 11 (1): 275. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-11-275 . PMC   3190395 . PMID   21943181.
  16. ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2022). "Iguanodectidae" in FishBase . March 2022 version.
  17. ↑ "Bryconops giacopinii (Fernández-Yépez, 1950)". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  18. ↑ Chernoff, Barry; Buckup, Paulo Andreas; Machado-Allison, Antonio; Royero, Ramiro (March 1993). "Las especies del genero Bryconops Kner, 1858 en Venezuela (Teleostei, Characiformes)". Venezuelan Biological Act. 14 (3): 1–20. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  19. 1 2 Echevarría, Gabriela; González, Nirson (November 2018). "Fish taxonomic and functional diversity in mesohabitats of the River Kakada, Caura National Park, Venezuela". Nature Conservation Research. 3 (Suppl. 2). doi: 10.24189/ncr.2018.048 . Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  20. ↑ Muriel-Hoyos, Felipe; Santana-Piñeros, Ana María; Cruz-Quintana, Yanis; Suárez-Morales, Eduardo (November 2015). "A new species of Ergasilus Nordmann, 1832 (Copepoda: Cyclopoida: Ergasilidae) from Bryconops giacopinii Fernández-Yépez (Characidae) in the Vichada River Basin, Colombia". Systematic Parasitology. 92 (3): 241–249. doi:10.1007/s11230-015-9599-3. PMID   26446546. S2CID   18729069 . Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  21. ↑ Greaves, Eduardo D.; Liendo, Jacinto (2007). "Radon Concentration in the Cataniapo-Autana River Basin, Amazonas State, Venezuela". Latin American Symposium on Nuclear Physics and Applications. 7: 469–470. Bibcode:2007AIPC..947..469S. doi:10.1063/1.2813855 . Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  22. ↑ "Hypoxic blackwater events and water quality". Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. Australian Government. 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  23. ↑ Mehring, Andrew S.; Kuehn, Kevin A.; Tant, Cynthia J.; Pringle, Catherine M.; Lowrance, R. Richard; Vellidis, George (2014). "Contribution of surface leaf-litter breakdown and forest composition to benthic oxygen demand and ecosystem respiration in a South Georgia blackwater river". Freshwater Science. 33 (2): 377–389. doi: 10.1086/675507 . S2CID   85315129.
  24. ↑ González, Nirson; Echevarría, Gabriela; Daza, Felix; Mass, Francis (2012). "Illustrated list of additions to the ichthyofauna of the Caura River, Venezuela". Check List. 8 (1): 043. doi: 10.15560/8.1.043 . Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  25. 1 2 Luque, Francisco J.; Patarroyo-Baez, Jhon J.; González-Trujillo, Juan David (1 May 2019). "Aspectos auto-ecológicos de Bryconops giacopinii (Iguanodectidae) de la Serranía de la Lindosa, San José de Guaviare, Colombia". Acta Biológica Colombiana. 24 (2): 255–263. doi: 10.15446/abc.v24n2.70450 . S2CID   150298110.
  26. ↑ Barros, G.; Zuanon, J.; Deus, C. (January 2017). "Effects of species co-occurrence on the trophic-niche breadth of characids in Amazon forest streams: trophic niches of characids". Journal of Fish Biology. 90 (1): 326–340. doi:10.1111/jfb.13183. PMID   27778359 . Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  27. ↑ Silva, Cylene C. da; Ferreira, Efrem J. G.; Deus, Cláudia P. de (2008). "Diet of Bryconops alburnoides and B. caudomaculatus (Osteichthyes: Characiformes) in the region affected by Balbina Hydroelectric Dam (Amazon drainage, Brazil)". Neotropical Ichthyology. 6 (2): 237–242. doi: 10.1590/S1679-62252008000200011 .
  28. ↑ Muriel-Hoyos, Felipe; Santana-Piñeros, Ana María; Cruz-Quintana, Yanis; Suárez-Morales, Eduardo (November 2015). "A new species of Ergasilus Nordmann, 1832 (Copepoda: Cyclopoida: Ergasilidae) from Bryconops giacopinii Fernández-Yépez (Characidae) in the Vichada River Basin, Colombia". Systematic Parasitology. 92 (3): 241–249. doi:10.1007/s11230-015-9599-3. PMID   26446546. S2CID   18729069 . Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  29. ↑ Gaviria, Santiago; Aranguren-Riaño, Nelson (15 June 2019). "Continental copepods (Crustacea: Hexanauplia) of Colombia: revision and additions to the inventory". Biota Colombiana. 20 (1): 50–74. doi: 10.21068/c2019.v20n01a04 . Retrieved 18 May 2022.
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