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Issue: Vol. 5814 No. 2: 21 May 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-05-21
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5814.2.5
Page range: 259-275
Abstract views: 93
PDF downloaded: 0

Morphological and molecular evidence reveal three new species of Imparfinis (Heptapteridae: Heptapterini) from the Amazon River basin

Instituto de Estudos do Xingu (IEX); Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará (UNIFESSPA); São Félix do Xingu; PA; Brazil.
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Biologia Animal); Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES); Campus Goiabeiras; Av. Fernando Ferrari; 514; Goiabeiras; Vitória 29075-910; ES; Brazil.
Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu; Universidade Estadual Paulista; IBB/UNESP; 18618-970; Botucatu; SP; Brazil.
Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu; Universidade Estadual Paulista; IBB/UNESP; 18618-970; Botucatu; SP; Brazil.
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Biologia Animal); Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES); Campus Goiabeiras; Av. Fernando Ferrari; 514; Goiabeiras; Vitória 29075-910; ES; Brazil.; Instituto Nossos Riachos (INR); Estrada de Itacoatiara; 356; Itacoatiara; Niterói 24348-095; RJ; Brazil.
Pisces Diversity taxonomy mitochondrial lineages species delimitation

Abstract

The integration of morphological and molecular data for Imparfinis species from Amazonian drainages of the Brazilian Shield revealed the presence of three previously undescribed species, which are formally described herein. These species are readily distinguished from their congeners by characters related to coloration: I. melanopterus, from the middle Araguaia River, has a distinctly darker lower caudal-fin lobe; I. nigropunctatus, from the upper Araguaia River, possesses conspicuous black spots on the body; and I. tessellatus, from the upper Tapajós River, is characterized by dark blocks of chromatophores on the body, forming a variegated color pattern. Additionally, our species-delimitation analysis recovered these three morphotypes as independent genetic lineages, exhibiting high levels of genetic divergence. A discussion of distributional patterns of Imparfinis within the Amazon River basin is provided.

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How to Cite

Silva, G.S.C., Lopes, M.M., Carvalho, K.R., Oliveira, C. & Sarmento-Soares, L.M. (2026) Morphological and molecular evidence reveal three new species of Imparfinis (Heptapteridae: Heptapterini) from the Amazon River basin. Zootaxa, 5814 (2), 259–275. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5814.2.5