Neoplecostomus sapucai Andrade, Uzeda, Paiola, Siqueira-Cesar, Okubo, Marques-Frisoni & Langeani, 2024

Uzeda, Pedro L. C., Paiola, Isabel, Cesar, Poliana S., Okubo, Vitor Kenzo N., Marques-Frisoni, Wellington J., Andrade, Breno N. & Langeani, Francisco, 2024, Two new species of Neoplecostomus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from high altitudes of the upper rio Paraná basin, Brazil, Neotropical Ichthyology (e 240021) 22 (4), pp. 25-25 : 25

Neoplecostomus sapucai Andrade, Uzeda, Paiola, Siqueira-Cesar, Okubo, Marques-Frisoni & Langeani , new species

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8D17A28B-4C35-4F2C-A1AC-968B9DD3684B

( Figs. 10–11 ; Tab. 2 )

Neoplecostomus sp. 3 . ― Roxo et al. (2012b):35 (tab. 1), 38 (fig. 2). ― Roxo et al. (2012c):2444 (fig. 2).

Neoplecostomus sp. 4 . ― Roxo et al. (2012b):35 (tab. 1), 38 (fig. 2). ― Roxo et al. (2012c):2444 (fig. 2).

Neoplecostomus sp. “Sapucaí” - population 6. ― Lucena et al. (2012):325 (reference in abstract), 326 (fig. 1f), 327 (fig. 2), 328 (tab. 1, reference in results), 329 (tab. 2, reference in discussion, tab. 3), 330 (fig. 3, reference in discussion), 331 (fig. 4, reference in discussion).

Neoplecostomus sp. “Monjolo” - population 7. ― Lucena et al. (2012):325 (reference in abstract), 326 (fig. 1g), 327 (fig. 2), 328 (tab. 1, reference in results), 329 (tab. 2, reference in discussion, tab. 3), 330 (fig. 3, reference in discussion), 331 (fig. 4, reference in discussion).

Neoplecostomus sp. ― Thereza, Langeani (2019):23 (identification key), 45–46, 102 (fig. 10c).

Holotype. DZSJRP 14015 , male, 88.4 mm SL, Brazil, State of Minas Gerais, Delfim Moreira, rio Grande sub-basin, rio Sapucaí drainage, unnamed stream on Highway AMG-1915 (Piquete - Delfim Moreira), 22º32’31.3”S 45º14’28.8”W, 1.331 m a.s.l., 6 Aug 2011, B. N. Andrade, F. O. Martins & F. Langeani.

Paratypes. All from Brazil, rio Grande sub-basin, rio Sapucaí drainage. State of Minas Gerais, Delfim Moreira: DZSJRP 24791 , 6, 53.0– 57.5 mm SL, collected with holotype . DZSJRP 13944 , 1, 76.3 mm SL, rio Santo Antônio , 22º29’59”S 45º19’29”W, 1.165 m a.s.l., 13 Jun 2011, J. E. Souza . DZSJRP 13952 , 2, 76.1–81.0 mm SL, rio Santo Antônio , 22º29’37”S 45º19’47”W, 1.150 m a.s.l., 15 Jun 2011, J. E. Souza . DZSJRP 13955 , 9, unmeasured, rio Santo Antônio , 22º29’07”S 45º21’01”W, 950 m a.s.l., 15 Nov 2011, J. E. Souza . DZSJRP 14024 , 2, 55.5–69.2 mm SL, rio Santo Antônio , Highway between Delfim Moreira and Itajubá, 22º29’06.4”S 45º21’01.5”W, 948 m a.s.l., 7 Aug 2011, B. N. Andrade, F. O. Martins & F. Langeani . DZSJRP 14028 , 1, 50.1 mm SL, stream affluent to PCH Ninho da Águia , 22º29’35.1”S 45º19’44.7”W, 1.163 m a.s.l., 7 Aug 2011, B. N. Andrade, F. O. Martins & F. Langeani . DZSJRP 14029 , 7, unmeasured, rio Santo Antônio , 22º29’52.9”S 45º19’26.7”W, 1.171 m a.s.l., 7 Aug 2011, B. N. Andrade, F. O. Martins & F. Langeani . DZSJRP 14876 , 2, unmeasured, rio Santo Antônio , Delfim Moreira, 22º28’04”S 45º20’58”W, 882 m a.s.l., 18 Nov 2011, Nicatec team . DZSJRP 14877 , 2, 8.7–85.2 mm SL, rio Santo Antônio , 22º29’37.6”S 45º19’47.44”W, 1.146 m a.s.l., 16 Nov 2011, Nicatec team . DZSJRP 17758 , 2, 81.0– 82.8 mm SL, rio Santo Antônio , upstream PCH Ninho da Águia reservoir, 22º29’58”S 45º19’29”W, 1.167 m a.s.l., 27–28 Nov 2012, L. L. Santiago & Nicatec team . DZSJRP 20586 , 1, 84.6 mm SL, rio Santo Antônio , downstream Ninho da Águia waterfall, 22º28’05”S 45º20’58”W, 882 m a.s.l., 11 Jul 2014, Nicatec team . DZSJRP 23243 , 4, unmeasured, rio Santo Antônio , Delfim Moreira , 22º28’00”S 45º21’12”W, 884 m a.s.l., 26 Sep 2022, I. Langeani & F. Langeani . MNRJ 22251 , 26, 38.0– 50.1 mm SL, left tributary to ribeirão do Machado or Tabuão , 22°32’21”S 45°14’27”W, 1.323 m a.s.l., 14 Nov 2001, P. A. Buckup, O. M. Filho & A. T. Aranda. State of São Paulo: MZUSP 99333 , 10, 31.0– 60.3 mm SL, Ribeirão Marmelos , 22º38’32”S 45º30’17”W, 1.192 m a.s.l., 22 Feb 2008, A. K. Zeinad ; MZUSP 99680 , 3, 72.5–87.6 mm SL, ribeirão Lajeado , Highway SP-42 near SP-050, São Bento do Sapucaí, 22º47’09”S 45º41’17”W, 1.007 m a.s.l., date and collectors undetermined. CI-UFLA 3191 , 6, 4 unmeasured, 2, 52.2– 55.0 mm SL, rio Sapucaí-mirim , São Bento do Sapucaí, 22°47’18.71”S 45°40’28.00”W, 1.017 m a.s.l, 30 Jul 2024, P. L. C. Uzeda & L. Sartori . MCP 48676 , 3, 57.9–63.4 mm SL, waterfall in Parque Estadual de Campos de Jordão ( Horto Florestal ), Campos do Jordão, 22º39’00”S 45º31’00”W, 1.291 m a.s.l., 1 Jan 2013, M. Soares & K. Leite . MCP 48677 , 3, 68.0– 75.4 mm SL, waterfall in Parque Estadual de Campos do Jordão ( Horto Florestal ), Campos do Jordão, 22º39’00”S 45º31’00”W, 1.291 m a.s.l., 1 Jan 2013, M. Soares & K. Leite . MNRJ 22252 , 5, 40.2–67.9 mm SL, rio Comprido , tributary to Usina Hidrelétrica de Piquete , rio Bicas microbasin, Highway BR-459, Piquete, 22°33’29”S 45°22’11”W, 1.135 m a.s.l., 15 Nov 2001, P. A. Buckup, O. M. Filho & A. T. Aranda. MNRJ 23963 , 35, 38.0– 65.7 mm SL (1 c&s, 55.8 mm SL), Campos do Jordão near Piranguçu, 22°35’46”S 45°28’33”W, 978 m a.s.l., 30 May 2002, P. A. Buckup, O. M. Filho, A. T. Aranda & C. Chamon .

Non-type. Brazil, State of Minas Gerais, rio Grande sub-basin, rio Sapucaí drainage. MNRJ 23949 , 1, unmeasured, ribeirão do Salto , Itajubá, 22°26’55”S 45°20’47”W, 910 m a.s.l., 30 May 2002, P. A. Buckup, O. M. Filho, A. T. Aranda & C. Chamon .

Diagnosis. Neoplecostomus sapucai differs from all congeners, except N. altimontanus and N. bandeirante , by having the exposed area of first plates of mid-ventral and ventral series narrower than the naked areas surrounding each plate (vs. all other congeners with exposed area of first plates of mid-ventral and ventral series equal to or wider than the naked area surrounding each plate) ( Fig. 2 ). Furthermore, the new species differs from all congeners, except N. altimontanus , N. jaguari , and N. langeanii by presenting sexual dimorphism in dentition, with males having more robust and fewer teeth compared to females ( Fig. 3 ) (vs. tooth morphology and number similar in both sexes in all other congeners). Additionally, N. sapucai differs from N. bandeirante by the presence of a lateronasal plate ( Fig. 6 ), absence of keels along the lateral series of plates and absence of preadipose azygous plates (vs. lateronasal plate absent, keels and preadipose azygous plates present) ( Fig. 5 ); from N. jaguari by having two posteronasal plates (vs. five to seven posteronasal plates) and females with 24–33, modally 26 premaxillary and 22– 31, modally 26 dentary teeth (vs. females with 30–39 premaxillary and 30–38 dentary teeth); and from N. langeanii by the presence of an extra canal-bearing plate located between supraopercle and dorsal opening of the preopercular canal ( Fig. 4 ) (vs. extra canal-bearing plate absent).

Neoplecostomus sapucai is most similar to N. altimontanus , from which differs by having transverse light bars over body (vs. conspicuous dark spots over body and fins); plates of the lateral series bearing odontodes roughly equal in size, making caudal-peduncle surface smooth and rounded in cross-section (vs. plates of dorsal, mid-dorsal, median and mid-ventral series with slightly hypertrophied odontodes on posterior portion, resembling discontinuous keels on caudal peduncle) ( Fig. 5 ); reduced adipose fin, extending over three or four plates, usually three ( Fig. 5 ) (vs. well-developed adipose fin, extending over four or five dorsal plates, usually five); presence of a lateronasal plate (vs. lateronasal plate absent) ( Fig. 6 ); larger nares (nare length 9.9–14.1% vs. 3.0–9.0% of HL); and by the lower premaxillary (24–33, modally 26 vs. 31–42, modally 35) and dentary (22–31, modally 26 vs. 31–40, modally 31) teeth counts in females.

Description. Measurements and counts in Tab. 2 . Body elongated and dorsoventrally depressed. Greatest width at anterior portion of cleithrum, gradually narrowing towards caudal peduncle. Dorsal profile of body slightly convex, elevating from snout tip to dorsal-fin origin; descending from dorsal-fin origin to dorsal procurrent caudal-fin rays. Greatest body depth at dorsal-fin origin. Trunk and caudal peduncle dorsally rounded in cross-section. Ventral profile depressed to anal-fin origin and slightly rounded to caudal fin.

Body entirely covered with bony plates, except around dorsal-fin base, ventral surface of head, regions around ventral shield, lateral portion of trunk between pectoral- and pelvic-fin origin, and between ventral shield and anal-fin origin. Lateral series of plates without keels. Exposed area of first plates of mid-ventral and ventral series narrower than naked area surrounding each plate. Abdomen with small plates covered with odontodes, arranged into pentagonal or hexagonal shield between pectoral- and pelvic-fin origins.

Head broad and rounded. Snout tip without bony plates. Lateral margins of snout and anterior portion of head lacking hypertrophied odontodes and swollen skin. Interorbital region slightly convex in frontal view. Eyes moderately sized and dorsolaterally located. Ventral surface of head naked, except for canal cheek plate, undivided and with triangular medial projection. Extra canal-bearing plate between supraopercle and compound pterotic. Lips moderately developed and rounded; lower lip covered with small rounded papillae. Hypertrophied papillae arranged into two or three irregular series immediately posterior to dentary teeth. Posterior margin of lower lip strongly convex, reaching or almost reaching pectoral girdle. Maxillary barbel poorly developed, entirely coalesced to lower lip. Dentary rami angled towards each other at about 110º–115º. Premaxillary teeth bicuspid and copper colored; lateral cusp smaller than mesial cusp.

Dorsal fin i-ii,7; origin slightly posterior to vertical through pelvic-fin origin; spinelet absent or present, wider than base of unbranched ray when present; locking mechanism not functional. Distal margin straight, surpassing vertical through anal-fin origin when adpressed. Adipose fin short and low, extending over three to four (normally three) dorsal plates; absent in some specimens, replaced by azygous plates; preadipose azygous plates normally absent. Pectoral fin i,6; unbranched ray dorsoventrally depressed and curved posteriorly, shorter than first branched ray. Distal margin straight, surpassing first third of pelvic fin when adpressed. Pelvic fin i,5; unbranched ray slightly curved inwards; ventral surface flattened, covered with spatulate odontodes. Distal margin roughly straight. Caudal fin i,7,7,i; lower lobe longer than upper lobe; distal margin slightly concave.

Supraorbital sensory canal with four pores; pore s1 at anteromesial margin of anterior nare; pore s3 at posteriomesial margin of posterior nare; pore s6+s6 at interorbital region, at transverse line through posterior half of eyes; pore s8 posteromesially to eye, longitudinally aligned with nares. Infraorbital sensory canal with six pores; pore io1 at anterior margin of first infraorbital; pore io2 between posterior margin of first infraorbital and anterior margin of second infraorbital; pore io3 between second and third infraorbitals; pore io4 between third and fourth infraorbitals; pore io5 between fourth and fifth infraorbitals; and pore io6 located between superior margin of fifth infraorbital and inferior margin of sphenotic. Preoperculomandibular sensory canal with five pores; pore pm1 at ventral surface of cheek plate; pore pm2 between superior margin of cheek plate and inferior margin of preopercle; pore pm3 between superior margin of preopercle and inferior margin of supraopercle; pore pm4 between superior margin of supraopercle and anterior margin of opercle; pore pm5+po1 rising on surface of extra canal-bearing plate. Three postotic sensory pores; pore po1 fused to pore pm5; pore po2 above branchial slit, and pore po3 on skin overlying opening of swimbladder capsule.

Coloration in alcohol. Head and trunk light to dark brown in adults and juveniles. Head, dorsum, trunk and fins covered with inconspicuous and diffuse dark saddles.

Coloration pattern in juveniles composed by four transverse dark bars; bars surrounded by light areas in adults: first at dorsal-fin base, second between dorsal and adipose fin, and third at posterior portion of adipose fin. Head with two slender light stripes anterior to nare, reaching anterior portion of snout; in some specimens, additional stripe between nares present. Region around orbit with light blotches, especially anterior and posterior to orbit. One or two light areas between orbits, fused into transverse lines in some specimens.

All fins with diffuse dark blotches over branched rays; blotches on unbranched rays well delimited. Caudal fin with conspicuous dark blotches at distal portion. Adipose-fin spine laterally dark; dorsal surface of spine with coalesced light and dark blotches. Ventral surface unpigmented, except for some brown colored regions of upper lip and next to anal-fin origin. Live coloration with slightly more contrasting patterns and blotches ( Fig. 11 ).

Sexual dimorphism. Males present a urogenital papilla posterior to anal opening and a skin flap along the dorsal surface of unbranched pelvic-fin ray (both absent in females). Additionally, males have teeth short, robust and in fewer number (11–20 premaxillary and 13–20 dentary teeth) compared to females, which have slender and more numerous teeth (24–33 premaxillary and 22–31 dentary teeth).

Geographical distribution. Neoplecostomus sapucai is known from eight streams in the upper portion of rio Sapucaí drainage, rio Grande sub-basin, at the Northern slope of Serra da Mantiqueira, within the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo ( Fig. 8 ).

Ecological notes. Neoplecostomus sapucai is found in small streams with low depth (<1 m), rapid flow and crystal-clear waters. The localities, situated at altitudes between 900 and 1.400 m above sea level, presented substrate composed mainly of pebbles (1–4 cm) and cobbles (4–15 cm) over sand. The type-locality is poorly covered by riparian vegetation and is prone to receive direct sunlight over most part of the day ( Fig. 12 ). The species is sympatric to Phalloceros harpagos Lucinda, 2008 , Psalidodon paranae (Eigenmann, 1914) , and Trichomycterus cf. brasiliensis (Lütken, 1874) .

Etymology. The specific epithet “sapucai ” is in reference to rio Sapucaí, the drainage where the species is known to occur. A noun in apposition.

Conservation status. Neoplecostomus sapucai is known from 16 localities distributed across eight small to medium size streams in the upper portion of rio Sapucaí drainage, with an extent of occurrence estimated as 1.013 km 2. At the time of our last expeditions, most localities presented riparian vegetation and tree covering, and were situated outside conservation units; one of them is located inside of an environmentally protected area, in Campos do Jordão State Park. The species was found in streams draining areas of pasture, highway infrastructure, and areas upstream and downstream from Ninho da Águia reservoir in rio Santo Antônio. The aforementioned factors indicate that Neoplecostomus sapucai is a relatively cosmopolitan species, and the current anthropogenic activities along its distribution do not appear to pose significant threats to the viability of its populations. Therefore, we suggest that this species should be categorized as Least Concern (LC) according to IUCN’s criteria ( IUCN, 2022). Nonetheless, we encourage ecological assessments to better understand its population dynamics and the environmental changes along its distribution.

Figures

FIGURE 2 | Lateral series of plates, left view. A. Neoplecostomus bandeirante, paratype, DZSJRP 14881, male, 95.9 mm SL. B. N. altimontanus, paratype, DZSJRP 24793, female, 93.2 mm SL. C. N. sp.n., paratype, DZSJRP 14877, male, 84.7 mm SL. D. N. botucatu, paratype, DZSJRP 14879, male, 80.2 mm SL. MV = midventral series; V = ventral series. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURE 3 | Sexual dimorphism in dentition of Neoplecostomus altimontanus, also present in N. sp.n. A. Holotype, DZSJRP 24792, 90.2 mm SL, male with robust and few teeth. B. Paratype, DZSJRP 24793, 93.2 mm SL, female with slender and numerous teeth. Scale bar = 5 mm.

FIGURE 4 | Schematic view of left opercular series. A. Neoplecostomus altimontanus, paratype, CI-UFLA 2176, male, 88.6 mm SL. B. N. sp.n., paratype, DZSJRP 20586, female, 86.7 mm SL. C. N. paranensis, CI- UFLA 3186, male, 72.6 mm SL. Osteological and sensorial structures are represented as: cl (posterior process of cleithrum); cp (cheek plate); cpt (compound pterotic); exp (extra canal-bearing plate); op (opercle); po1–3 (postotic pores 1–3); pop (preopercle); pm1–5 (preoperculomandibular pores 1–5); socp (subocular cheek plate), and sop (supraopercle). Scale bars = 5 mm.

FIGURE 5 | Caudal peduncle and adipose fin, left view. A. Neoplecostomus altimontanus, holotype, DZSJRP 24792, male, 90.2 mm SL. B. N. bandeirante, paratype, DZSJRP 14881, male, 95.9 mm SL. C. N. sp.n., paratype, DZSJRP 13944, male, 76.3 mm SL. D. N. microps, DZSJRP 13913, male, 90.2 mm SL. White arrows indicate the slightly hypertrophied odontodes on caudal-peduncle plates, resembling discontinuous keels. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURE 6 | Dorsal view of left infraorbital series, anterior to top. A. Neoplecostomus sp.n., paratype, MNRJ 23963, male, 55.8 mm SL; B. N. altimontanus, paratype, DZSJRP 24793, male, 85.5 mm SL. Infraorbital 2 (io2); infraorbital 3 (io3); lateronasal plate (pl). Black dots delimit the infraorbitals; white dots delimit the lateronasal plate. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURE 8 | Distribution map of the new species of Neoplecostomus. Stars represent the localities of N. altimontanus and circles represent the localities of N. sp.n. Full symbols indicate the locality of each holotype. The white dashed line represents the limits between Paraná and neighboring basins, shown as SF (São Francisco basin) and PS (Paraíba do Sul basin).

FIGURE 10 | Neoplecostomus sapucai, holotype, DZSJRP 14015, male, 88.4 mm SL, Delfim Moreira, unnamed stream on highway AMG-1915, rio Sapucaí drainage, rio Grande sub-basin, upper rio Paraná basin. Dorsal, lateral, and ventral views.

FIGURE 11 | Live specimen of Neoplecostomus sapucai, CI-UFLA 3191, paratype, male.

FIGURE 12 | Type-locality of Neoplecostomus sapucai at unnamed stream on highway AMG-1915, Delfim Moreira, rio Sapucaí drainage, rio Grande sub-basin, upper rio Paraná basin.

Tables

TABLE 2 | Morphometric data and counts for the holotype and 29 paratypes of Neoplecostomus sapucai. The adipose-fin length was taken from 25 specimens. M = male, F = female.

	Holotype	Range	Mean	SD
Standard length (mm)	88.4	49.6–88.4	66.3	13.1
Percents of standard length
Predorsal length	43.1	40.7–45.4	43.8	1.0
Head length	32.8	30.9–33.7	32.3	0.8
Head width	29.0	26.2–29.2	28.1	0.8
Cleithrum width	29.1	25.9–29.1	28.1	0.8
Occipital-dorsal distance	10.4	10.4–13.4	12.1	0.8
Thoraxic length	13.6	13.6–19.0	15.9	1.3
Interdorsal length	20.2	17.4–21.6	19.4	1.2
Caudal-peduncle length	28.8	26.5–31.7	29.2	1.3
Caudal-peduncle depth	8.2	7.6–9.5	8.2	0.4
Body depth	21.7	15.5–22.3	19.2	1.2
Preanal length	61.0	59.3–66.9	63.3	1.9
Adipose-fin length	7.2	2.5–7.7	7.01	1.4
Percents of head length
Head with	91.4	78.5–94.0	85.6	4.3
Head depth	56.2	37.1–57.2	46.9	4.8
Snout length	62.0	59.9–67.2	63.9	1.8
Orbital diameter	7.3	6.8–11.1	9.0	1.1
Interorbital distance	36.4	31.2–37.7	33.5	1.7
Mandibulary width	16.0	14.9–23.9	18.8	2.4
Lower-lip width	56.8	46.9–70.9	58.4	6.2
Lower-lip length	21.9	11.8–42.6	18.8	5.9
Nare length	12.2	9.9–14.1	12.0	1.0
Nare width	7.9	7.4–9.6	8.3	0.5
Anal-fin length	46.5	41.8–63.1	52.5	4.1
Other percents
Interorbital distance/orbital diameter	20.1	21.1–33.3	27.0	3.0
Predorsal length/dorsal-fin spine length	45.6	35.4–51.8	45.4	4.3
Pelvic-fin spine length/caudal peduncle depth	36.3	26.5–39.4	31.1	3.0
Lower caudal-fin unbr. ray/caudal peduncle depth	42.7	24.6–36.7	29.2	3.2
Counts	Holotype	Range	Mode	SD
Dorsal plates	30	29–31	29	0.6
Mid-dorsal plates	25	23–25	24	0.8
Median plates	30	29–31	30	0.6
Mid-ventral plates	26	24–27	25	0.8
Ventral plates	25	24–26	24	0.8
Predorsal plates	4	4–6	5	0.6
Plates at dorsal-fin base	6	5–6	6	0.2
Plates between dorsal and caudal	18	17–19	18	0.7
Plates between adipose and caudal	7	7–8	7	0.5
Plates between anal and caudal	13	11–13	12	0.6
Plates under adipose fin	3	3–4	3	0.7
Premaxillary teeth (M)	15	11–21	15	2.5
Dentary teeth (M)	13	11–20	13	2.4
Premaxillary teeth (F)	–	24–33	26	2.8
Dentary teeth (F)	–	22–31	26	2.6