A new species of Hoplias malabaricus species complex (Characiformes: Erythrinidae) from the Crepori River, Amazon basin, Brazil

Identification of fish specimens of the Tocantins River, Brazil, using DNA barcoding

The fish fauna of the Tocantins River possesses many endemic species; however, it is little studied in molecular terms and is quite threatened by the construction of several hydroelectric dams. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify the ichthyofauna of the Tocantins River using DNA barcoding. For this, collections were carried out in five points of this river, which resulted in the capture of 725 individuals from which partial sequences of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene were obtained for genetic analysis. A total of 443 haplotypes were recovered with the mean intraspecific K2P genetic distance of 1.82%. Altogether, 138 species were identified based on morphological criteria, which was a quantity that was much lower than that indicated by the four molecular methods (assemble species by automatic partitioning [ASAP], barcode index number [BIN], generalized mixed Yule coalescent (GMYC), and Bayesian Poisson tree processes [bPTP]) through which 152-157 molecular entities were identified. In all, 41 unique BINs were obtained based on the data generated in the BOLDSystems platform. According to the result indicated by ASAP (species delimitation approach considered the most appropriate in the present study), there was an increase of 17 molecular entities (12.32%), when compared to the number of species identified through their morphological criteria, as it can show cryptic diversity, candidates for new species, and misidentifications. There were 21 incongruities indicated between the different identification approaches for species. Therefore, it is suggested that these taxonomic problems be cautiously evaluated by experts to solve such taxonomic issues.

The fish collection of Jos Mariano da Conceio Veloso (17421811) and the beginning of ichthyological research in Brazil, with a taxonomic description of the extant specimens

Two Portuguese institutions, the Museu Maynense da Academia das Cincias de Lisboa (ACL), and the Museu da Cincia da Universidade de Coimbra (MCUC), house a collection of 85 dried fish specimens prepared in what can be called a fish-herbaria following a process similar to that developed by the Dutch naturalist Johan Frederic Gronovius (16901762). These specimens date back to the late eighteenth century and represent Brazilian taxa. Previous authors assumed that they were part of the collections amassed by the Brazilian-Portuguese naturalist Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira (17561815) during his philosophical voyage to the Amazon. Here we present a review of these specimens, suggesting that they belonged to Friar Jos Mariano da Conceio Veloso (17421811) and describe the history of dispersal of these collections up the present day. A total of 58 species in 50 genera, 32 families and 19 orders are represented in the collection. Only 8.6% of these specimens represent freshwater species, while 91.4% are marine or brackish water species. The present known distribution of these taxa is focused on southwestern Brazil, which agrees with the area where Veloso collected natural history specimens. A good percentage of the species were undescribed at the time Veloso collected them, and had they been published by him, would have had priority over species described decades later by famous eighteenth and nineteenth century ichthyologists. We also present a brief discussion on the challenges and opportunities of studying historical natural history specimens, with special focus on those amassed during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century by Brazilian-Portuguese naturalists.