Bryconops gracilis explained

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.

Description

The holotype of Bryconops gracilis - the very first collected specimen - was reported at 7.5 cm (2.9 in) in SL (standard length, with the length of the tail fin excluded).[1] Further specimens of B. gracilis range from 6.1 to 12.3 cm (2.4 to 4.8 in) SL.[2] Like the rest of Bryconops, B. gracilis has a slender body reminiscent of a minnow's.[3] Its body is also on the shallower side when compared to other members of its genus, a feature it shares with B. alburnoides, B. collettei, and B. magoi.

Bryconops gracilis is frequently confused with congener Bryconops alburnoides, the type species of the genus. This is because they share several morphological traits, such as a yellowish caudal fin, high number of lateral line scales, and overall elongated body shape. Both B. gracilis and B. alburnoides have 54 to 62 pored lateral line scales. Early descriptions also drew comparisons to Bryconops melanurus (then called Creatochanes melanurus) due to morphological overlap.[4]

Taxonomy

When it was originally described by German-American ichthyologist Carl H. Eigenmann in 1908, B. gracilis was named Creatochanes gracilis. It is still occasionally referenced under that name.[5]

Eigenmann's original nomenclature retains an element of validity in the current day. This is because there are two subgenera in Bryconops, Bryconops and Creatochanes, and the latter draws from Eigenmann's work. However, B. gracilis belongs to the subgenus Bryconops, making its full name Bryconops (Bryconops) gracilis.[6] It shares this subgenus with congener B. alburnoides, with which it has been confused in the past, but similar congener B. melanurus is in Creatochanes.[7]

Bryconops gracilis is an iguanodectid (part of the family Iguanodectidae).[8] This is a fairly recent classification, and was prompted by a review of the family Characidae in 2011 wherein the genera Bryconops, Piabucus, and Iguanodectes were all moved from Characidae to Iguanodectidae.[9] Some sources still list B. gracilis as a characin.[10]

Etymology

The specific epithet gracilis means "slender" (note the similarity to the word "graceful"), and is in reference to the narrow, elongated body.[11] It shares this specific epithet with multiple other species, such as Hemiodus gracilis and Pseudanos gracilis.[12]

In terms of a common name, B. gracilis is sometimes called the "lambari", but this is a name that also applies to other small species of fish in nearby regions. These fish include Astyanax altiparanae,[13] Bryconamericus lambari,[14] and Deuterodon iguape.[15] Otherwise, B. gracilis has no accepted common name.[16]

Distribution and conservation

Bryconops gracilis is native to Brazil, found only in the Tapajos river basin. Three of its congeners have also been described therein: B. durbinae, B. munduruku, and B. transitoria.

Though B. gracilis is currently listed as least concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN),[17] the Tapajos river is under constant threat of human impact. The water is sometimes so full of sediments kicked up by illegal mining that entire portions of the river turn entirely brown. Factors like this place B. gracilis, as well as other species endemic to the area, under greater survival pressure.[18]

Notes and References

  1. Eigenmann . Carl H. . 1908 . Preliminary descriptions of new genera and species of tetragonopterid characins (Zoölogical Results of the Thayer Brazilian expedition.) . Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College . 52 . 91–106 . 29 May 2022.
  2. Silva-Oliveira . Cárlison . Ota . Rafaela P. . Lima . Flávio C. T. . Py-Daniel . Lúcia Rapp . 13 December 2021 . Rediscovering species: redescription of Bryconops gracilis (Characiformes: Iguanodectidae), an often-misidentified species . Neotropical Ichthyology . 19 . 4 . 10.1590/1982-0224-2021-0054 . free .
  3. "THE FISH FAMILIES". Field Guide to the Fishes of the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas, edited by Peter van der Sleen and James S. Albert, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2017, pp. 95-96. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400888801-009
  4. Book: Eigenmann . Carl H. . The American Characidae . Meyers . George S. . 1917–1929 . Cambridge . 433–434 . 10 May 2022.
  5. Web site: Bryconops gracilis (Eigenmann, 1908) . 30 May 2022 . GBIF . Global Biodiversity Information System.
  6. Silva-Oliveira . Cárlison . Ota . Rafaela P. . Sabaj . Mark H. . Py-Daniel . Lúcia H. Rapp . 13 December 2021 . A new species of Bryconops (Characiformes: Iguanodectidae) from Atlantic coastal drainages of Suriname and French Guiana . Neotropical Ichthyology . en . 19 . 4 . 10.1590/1982-0224-2021-0113 . 1679-6225 . free .
  7. 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 . 10.11646/zootaxa.3994.1.7 . 26250264 . Biotaxa.
  8. Web site: Rees . Tony . 31 December 2011 . IRMNG - Bryconops gracilis (Eigenmann, 1908) . 30 May 2022 . International Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera.
  9. 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 . 10.1186/1471-2148-11-275 . free . 3190395 .
  10. Web site: Myers . P. . Espinosa . R. . Parr . C. S. . Jones . T. . Hammond . G. S. . Dewey . T. A. . Bryconops gracilis Classification . 30 May 2022 . Animal Diversity Web . University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
  11. Web site: Scharpf . Christopher . Lazara . Kenneth J. . 15 September 2020 . Order CHARACIFORMES: Families IGUANODECTIDAE, TRIPORTHEIDAE, BRYCONIDAE, CHALCEIDAE and GASTEROPELECIDAE . 30 May 2022 . The ETYFish Project.
  12. Prang, Gregory. (2007). An industry analysis of the freshwater ornamental fishery with particular reference to the supply of Brazilian freshwater ornamentals to the UK market. Uakari. 3. 10.31420/uakari.v3i1.18.
  13. Michelin . E. C. . Massocco . M. M. . Godoy . S. H. S. . Baldin . J. C. . Yasui . G. S. . Lima . C. G. . Rottinghaus . G. E. . Sousa . R. L. M. . Fernandes . A. M. . 14 December 2016 . Carryover of aflatoxins from feed to lambari fish (Astyanax altiparanae) tissues . Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A . 34 . 2 . 1–8 . 10.1080/19440049.2016.1266097 . 27967601 . 45576139 . 30 May 2022.
  14. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). Common names of "Bryconamericus lambari" in FishBase. May 2022 version.
  15. Henriques . Marcelo Barbosa . Fagundes . Lúcio . Petesse . Maria Letizia . da Silva . Newton José Rodrigues . Rezende . Karina Fernandes Oliveira . Barbieri . Edison . November 2018 . Lambari fish Deuterodon iguape as an alternative to live bait for estuarine recreational fishing . Fisheries Management and Ecology . en . 25 . 5 . 400–407 . 10.1111/fme.12308. 92099747 .
  16. Web site: Bryconops gracilis (Eigenmann 1908) Names . 30 May 2022 . Encyclopedia of Life.
  17. Lima . F. . Reis . R. . 2009 . Bryconops gracilis . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009-2.RLTS.T167639A6361150.en . 30 May 2022. free .
  18. News: 6 November 2018 . The Tapajos River: Hope for Sustainable Development . The Nature Conservancy . The Nature Conservancy . 30 May 2022.

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