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Renova oscari, a new genus and species of annual killifish from Venezuela (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae)
... Over the course of his career, Jim authored or co-authored over 60 scientific and technical publications. Among his systematic/taxonomic contributions are descriptions of two new genera, Terranatos Taphorn and Thomerson, 1978 andRenova Thomerson andTaphorn, 1995, and18 new fish species, 16 of which are Neotropical killifishes. The following is a list of new species described (in chronological order): 1) Hysteronotus myersi Weitzman and Thomerson, 1970 (now in Chrysobrycon); 2) Rivulus stellifer Thomerson and Turner, 1973 (now in Llanolebias); 3) Pterolebias hoignei Thomerson, 1974 (recognized by some as being in Gnatholebias); 4) Anchoviella belizensis Thomerson and Greenfield, 1975 (now in Anchoa); 5) Rachovia pyropunctata Taphorn and Thomerson, 1978; 6) Aphyocharax colifax Taphorn and Thomerson, 1991; 7) Rivulus immaculatus Thomerson, Nico, and Taphorn, 1991 (now in Anablepsoides); 8) Rivulus lyricauda Thomerson, Berkenkamp, and Taphorn, 1991 (now in Laimosemion); 9) Pterolebias xiphophorus Thomerson and Taphorn, 1992 (now in Micromoema); 10) Rivulus nicoi Thomerson and Taphorn, 1992 (now in Laimosemion); 11) Rivulus tecminae Thomerson, Nico, and Taphorn, 1992 (now in Laimosemion); 12) Rivulus gransabanae Lasso, Taphorn, and Thomerson, 1992 (now in Laimosemion); 13) Rivulus corpulentus Thomerson and Taphorn, 1993 (now in Laimosemion); 14) Renova oscari Thomerson and Taphorn, 1995;15) Austrofundulus guajira Hrbek, Taphorn, and Thomerson, 2005; 16) Austrofundulus leohoignei Hrbek, Taphorn, and Thomerson, 2005; 17) Austrofundulus leohoignei Hrbek, Taphorn, and Thomerson, 2005; and 18) Austrofundulus rupununi Hrbek, Taphorn, and Thomerson, 2005. ...
... Among his systematic/taxonomic contributions are descriptions of two new genera, Terranatos Taphorn and Thomerson, 1978 andRenova Thomerson andTaphorn, 1995, and18 new fish species, 16 of which are Neotropical killifishes. The following is a list of new species described (in chronological order): 1) Hysteronotus myersi Weitzman and Thomerson, 1970 (now in Chrysobrycon); 2) Rivulus stellifer Thomerson and Turner, 1973 (now in Llanolebias); 3) Pterolebias hoignei Thomerson, 1974 (recognized by some as being in Gnatholebias); 4) Anchoviella belizensis Thomerson and Greenfield, 1975 (now in Anchoa); 5) Rachovia pyropunctata Taphorn and Thomerson, 1978; 6) Aphyocharax colifax Taphorn and Thomerson, 1991; 7) Rivulus immaculatus Thomerson, Nico, and Taphorn, 1991 (now in Anablepsoides); 8) Rivulus lyricauda Thomerson, Berkenkamp, and Taphorn, 1991 (now in Laimosemion); 9) Pterolebias xiphophorus Thomerson and Taphorn, 1992 (now in Micromoema); 10) Rivulus nicoi Thomerson and Taphorn, 1992 (now in Laimosemion); 11) Rivulus tecminae Thomerson, Nico, and Taphorn, 1992 (now in Laimosemion); 12) Rivulus gransabanae Lasso, Taphorn, and Thomerson, 1992 (now in Laimosemion); 13) Rivulus corpulentus Thomerson and Taphorn, 1993 (now in Laimosemion); 14) Renova oscari Thomerson and Taphorn, 1995;15) Austrofundulus guajira Hrbek, Taphorn, and Thomerson, 2005; 16) Austrofundulus leohoignei Hrbek, Taphorn, and Thomerson, 2005; 17) Austrofundulus leohoignei Hrbek, Taphorn, and Thomerson, 2005; and 18) Austrofundulus rupununi Hrbek, Taphorn, and Thomerson, 2005. As an ichthyologist, he maintained his connection with the aquarium hobby and published a number of articles on tropical fish, especially South American killifish, in The Aquarium, Aquarium Illustrated, Freshwater and Marine Aquarium magazine, and Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine. ...
... The Cyprinodontiformes order is one of the most specious assemblies of Teleostei freshwater fish and includes approximately 850 species divided into around 110 genera (Costa 1998a). One of the largest families of Cyprinodontiformes is the Rivulidae, a generally small species that rarely exceeds 80 mm in length (Costa 1990(Costa , 1995Thomerson & Taphorn 1995;Costa & Nielsen 1997). Rivulidae is the fourth largest family of fish from freshwater environments in Neotropical regions (Reis et al. 2003). ...
The systematic knowledge of Simpsonichthys has changed substantially in recent years, with five subgenera having been elevated to the genus category. In view of these taxonomic changes, the aim of the present study was to identify the phylogenetic relationships among this group in order to test a hypothesis of the division of Simpsonichthys. The ATPase 8 and 6 gene sequences of 53 specimens of Simpsonichthys, Xenurolebias, Ophthalmolebias, Spectrolebias and Hypsolebias genera were assessed. The final topology divided the Simpsonichthys subgenera into five clades: clade I (Hypsolebias antenori group and Ophtalmolebias), clade II (Simpsonichtys and Spectrolebias), clade III (Hypsolebias flammeus and H. magnificus groups), clade IV (H. notatus group) and clade V, which included the Xenurolebias genus as a sister group to all the other Simpsonichthys subgenera. Simpsonichthys, Spectrolebias and Hypsolebias could therefor not be described as monophyletic groups, as has been proposed in some hypotheses. The H. antenori, H. notatus and H. magnificus groups, however, were monophyletic. The molecular results also suggested that H. ocellatus belongs to the Hypsolebias flammeus group. The phylogenetic position of H. fasciatus suggested a new group within Hypsolebias, or possibly even a new genus. The characteristics of the Hypsolebias antenori group and their phylogenetic position suggested that only the species of this group should be included in the Hypsolebias genus. The basal position of the Hypsolebias notatus group and its morphological character may represent a new genus. Although the monophyletism of Simpsonichtys could not be recovered, the branches supported the division of the western and eastern clades, possibly due to allopatric speciation. These facts suggest the division of the genus into at least two major clades. In addition, the study of morphological and molecular data is suggested to obtain a better understanding of such complex organisms, and a major taxonomic review is required.
... The subtribe Neofundulina was created by Costa (1990a,b) to include three genera with relatively largebodied species: Neofundulus, Moema, and Trigonectes. Thomerson and Taphorn (1995) later described a new monotypic taxon from the upper Orinoco basin, Renova oscari, which was hypothesized to be phylogenetically positioned between Neofundulus and Moema ϩ Trigo-297 PHYLOGENY OF THE NEOTROPICAL RIVULIDAE nectes. Our findings support a sister-group relationship between Moema and Trigonectes; however, none of the analyses indicate a monophyletic grouping of these two genera with either Renova or Neofundulus. ...
Phylogenetic relationships of 70 taxa representing 68 species of the Neotropical killifish family Rivulidae were derived from analysis of 1516 nucleotides sampled from four different segments of the mitochondrial genome: 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, cytochrome oxidase I, and cytochrome b. The basal bifurcation of Cynolebiatinae and Rivulinae (Costa, 1990a,b) is supported; however, Terranatos, Maratecoara, and Plesiolebias are rivulins, not cynolebiatins. These three genera, along with the other recognized annual rivulin genera, form a monophyletic clade. Austrofundulus, Rachovia, Renova, Terranatos, and 3 species of the genus Pterolebias, all from northeastern South America, form a monophyletic clade excluding other species of Pterolebias. Pterolebias as presently understood is clearly polyphyletic. Trigonectes and Moema are supported as sister groups but do not form a monophyletic group with the genera Neofundulus and Renova as previously proposed. The suite of adaptations necessary for an annual life history has clearly been lost several times in the course of rivulid evolution. Also revealed is a considerable increase in substitution rate in most annual lineages relative to the nonannual Rivulus species. The widespread and speciose genus Rivulus is paraphyletic, representing both basal and terminal clades within the Rivulidae. Previous hypotheses regarding the vicariant origin of Greater Antillean Rivulus species are supported. Most rivulid clades show considerable endemism; thus, detailed analysis of rivulid phylogeny and distribution will contribute robust hypotheses to the clarification of Neotropical biogeography.
Killifishes (Cyprinodontiformes) are a group of fish that include a high proportion of small-bodied species living in seasonal aquatic habitats, with narrow geographical distributions and high human impact. They are among the most vulnerable vertebrates in the Neotropical region, with nearly half of the species in threat categories. Herein, we propose a new phylogenetic hypothesis of the Rivulidae genus Austrolebias, based on 10 genes (six nuclear and four mitochondrial) and 191 morphological characters, including 90% of the total valid species of this genus. An updated definition and diagnosis of the existing subgenera of Austrolebias is provided, and these are erected to genera. Also, four new genera are erected to accommodate the taxonomy of the group to the current phylogenetic hypothesis. Additionally, we describe Argolebias guarani sp. nov., from a seasonal pond in the Middle Paraná River basin, which is diagnosed by a unique colour pattern. This addition reinforces this area as a biodiversity hotspot of endemicity and highlights the importance of this region for conservation. Data on the ontogenetic changes in colour pattern, chorion ornamentation of the egg and ecology of this species are also provided.
A phylogenetic analysis combining available mitochondrial DNA sequences (total of 3,339 bp) and 161 morphological characters for 22 species of rachovine genera (Aphyolebias, Austrofimdulns, Gnalholebias, Llanolebias, Micromoema, Moema, Neofunduius, Plerolebias, Rachovia, Renova, Terranatos, and Trigonectes), and 16 outgroups, supports monophyly of the group containing genera endemic to the Orinoco river basin and adjacent coastal drainages. Results of the present analysis are compared to previous studies. The tree topology indicates that the genera Moema and Rachovia as presently delimited are paraphyletic; consequently, Aphyolebias and Austrofitndulus are respectively placed in the synonymy of Moema and Rachovia. This study also indicates that rachovines were in the past geographically restricted to the Amazonas-Paraguay area where diversification in niche exploitation was constrained by competition with sympatric members of older seasonal fish lineages. Rachovines later reached the Orinoco basin and adjacent coastal drainages by dispersal through the Paleo-Amazonas river basin, when major evolutionary radiation taken place.
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