Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 5845 No. 1: 3 Jul. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-07-03
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5845.1.10
Page range: 179-188
Abstract views: 22
PDF downloaded: 0

Spectrolebias pantanalensis, a new cloud fish (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) from the Pantanal wetland, upper rio Paraguai basin, Brazil

IPN – Instituto Peixes das Nuvens; Rua das Magnólias; No. 47 Lote 32; Praia Linda; 28940-001; São Pedro da Aldeia; RJ; Brazil
Instituto de Biociências; Departamento de Biologia e Zoologia; Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso; Av. Fernando Corrêa; 2367; Boa Esperança; 78060-900; Cuiabá; MT; Brazil
Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia; Centro de Biociências; Laboratório de Ictiologia Sistemática e Evolutiva; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte; Av. Senador Salgado Filho; 3000; Lagoa Nova; 59978-970 Natal; RN; Brazil
Instituto de Biociências; Departamento de Biologia e Zoologia; Laboratório de Ecologia e Manejo de Recursos Pesqueiros (LEMARPE / UFMT); Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso; Av. Fernando Corrêa; 2367; Boa Esperança; 78060-900; Cuiabá; MT; Brazil
Pisces Annual fishes Neotropical Region Cynolebiinae Simpsonichthys Killifish

Abstract

A new species of the cloud fish genus Spectrolebias is described from temporary pools of the upper rio Paraguai basin, Mato Grosso state, Brazil, in the Pantanal wetland Biome. Spectrolebias pantanalensis sp. nov. is distinguished from other species of the genus by a unique color pattern in males and females. Spectrolebias pantanalensis is placed within the Spectrolebias chacoensis species group, representing the first species of this group described from Brazil. Its discovery extends the known range of the group, previously recorded only in Bolivia and Paraguay, and provides further evidence for the shared biogeographic history between the rio Paraguai and rio Guaporé/Río Iténez basins.

References

  1. Adámoli, J. (1987) O Pantanal e suas relações fitogeográficas com os cerrados; discussão sobre o conceito de “Complexo do Pantanal”. Anais do Congresso Nacional de Botânica, 37, 107–119.
  2. Alonso, F., Terán, G.E., Alanís, W.S.S., Calviño, P., Montes, M.M., Garcia, I.D., Barneche, J.A., Almirón, A., Ciotek, L., Giorgis, P. & Casciotta, J. (2023) From the mud to the tree: phylogeny of Austrolebias killifishes, new generic structure and description of a new species (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 199 (1), 280–309. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad032
  3. Amato, L.H. (1986) Seis espécies nuevas del gênero Cynolebias Steindachner, 1876, de Uruguay y Paraguay (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae). Comunicaciones Zoologicas del Museo de Historia Natural de Montevideo, 11 (162), 1–27.
  4. Assine, M.L. (2005) Gestão do Pantanal: uma visão geológica. In: Silva, J.S.V. (Ed.), Geotecnologias aplicadas ao agronegócio do Pantanal. Embrapa Informática Agropecuária, Campinas, pp. 27–46.
  5. Assine, M.L. (2010) Pantanal Mato-Grossense: uma paisagem de exceção. In: Modenesi-Gauttiere, M., Lisboa, M.B.A., Mantesso-Neto, V., Bartorelli, A. & Carneiro, C.D.R. (Eds.), A Obra de Aziz Nacib Ab’Sáber. Editora Beca, São Paulo, pp. 464–489.
  6. Assine, M.L. & Soares, P.C. (2004) Quaternary of the Pantanal, West-Central Brazil. Quaternary International, 114, 23–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1040-6182(03)00039-9
  7. Baker, P. (1990) Cynolebias costae. British Killifish Association, Killi News, 299, 10–12.
  8. Brousseau, R.D. (2025) A new species of annual fish, Spectrolebias shoheiohtanii (Cyprinodontiformes, Rivulidae, Cynolebiatinae) from the Mamoré River basin, Bolivia. Journal of the American Killifish Association, 58 (2), 72–82.
  9. Costa, W.J.E.M. (1995) Pearl Killifishes: The Cynolebiatinae. Systematics and Biogeography of a Neotropical Annual Fish Subfamily (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae). TFH Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey.
  10. Costa, W.J.E.M. (2003) Moema heterostigma, a new annual fish (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) from Brazilian Pantanal, Rio Paraguay basin. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 14 (4), 289–294.
  11. Costa, W.J.E.M. (2006) Descriptive morphology and phylogenetic relationship among species of the Neotropical annual killifish genera Nematolebias and Simpsonichthys (Cyprinodontiformes: Aplocheiloidei: Rivulidae). Neotropical Ichthyology, 4 (1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1679-62252006000100001
  12. Costa, W.J.E.M. (2007) Taxonomic revision of the seasonal South American killifish genus Simpsonichthys (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes: Aplocheiloidei: Rivulidae). Zootaxa, 1669, 1–134. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1669.1.1
  13. Costa, W.J.E.M. (2008) Catalog of Aplocheiloid Killifishes of the World. Departamento de Zoologia, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, 120 pp.
  14. Costa, W.J.E.M. (2010) Historical biogeography of cynolebiasine annual killifishes inferred from dispersal-vicariance analysis. Journal of Biogeography, 37 (10), 1995–2004. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02339.x
  15. Costa, W.J.E.M. & Brasil, G.C. (2008) Simpsonichthys inaequipinnatus, a new seasonal killifish from the Tocantins River basin, Brazil (Cyprinodontiformes, Rivulidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 3, 245–248.
  16. Costa, W.J.E.M. & Nielsen, D.T.B. (1997) A new genus and species of annual fish (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) from the Araguaia Basin, central Brazil. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 7, 257–265.
  17. Costa, W.J.E.M. & Nielsen, D.T.B. (2003) Simpsonichthys reticulatus n. sp. (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) a new annual fish from the Xingu floodplains, Brasilian, Amazon. Aqua Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology, 7, 119–122.
  18. Costa, W.J.E.M. & Amorim, P.F. (2018) A new miniature cryptic species of the seasonal killifish genus Spectrolebias from the Tocantins River basin, central Brazil (Cyprinodontiformes, Aplocheilidae). Zoosystematics and Evolution, 94 (2), 359–368. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.94.28085
  19. Drawert, H.A. (2023) Rivúlidos (Rivulidae: Cyprinodontiformes) de Bolivia: estado de conocimiento e inventario actualizado. Neotropical Hydrobiology and Aquatic Conservation, 4 (2), 3–85. https://doi.org/10.55565/nhac.zlmk9566
  20. Gimênes Junior, H. & Rech, R. (2022) Guia ilustrado dos peixes do Pantanal e entorno. Julien Design, Campo Grande, 660 pp.
  21. Heckman, C.W. (1998) The Pantanal of Poconé: Biota and Ecology in the Northern Section of the World’s Largest Pristine Wetland. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 622 pp.
  22. Hoedeman, J.J. (1958) The frontal scalation pattern in some groups of tooth carps. Bulletin of Aquatic Biology, 1, 23–28.
  23. Horton, B.K. & De Celles, P.G. (1997) The modern foreland basin system adjacent to the Central Andes. Geology, 25 (10), 895–898. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613
  24. Junk, W.J. & Cunha, C.N. (2005) Pantanal: a large South American wetland at a crossroads. Ecological Engineering, 24, 391–401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2004.11.012
  25. Lima, F.C.T. & Ribeiro, A.C. (2011) Continental-scale tectonic controls of biogeography and ecology. In: Albert, J. & Reis, R.E. (Eds.), Historical Biogeography of Neotropical Freshwater Fishes. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp. 145–164. https://doi.org/10.1525/california/9780520268685.003.0009
  26. Myers, G.S. (1952) Annual fishes. Aquarium Journal, 23, 125–141.
  27. Nielsen, D.T.B. (2008) Simpsonichthys e Nematolebias. Cabral Editora e Livraria Universitária, Taubaté.
  28. Nielsen, D.T.B. (2013) Spectrolebias brousseaui (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae: Cynolebiatinae), a new annual fish from the upper Río Mamoré Basin, Bolivia. Neotropical Ichthyology, 11 (1), 81–84. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1679-62252013000100009
  29. Nielsen, D.T.B. & Brousseau, R. (2013) Spectrolebias pilleti, a new annual killifish (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae: Cynolebiatinae) from the upper Río Mamoré Basin, Bolivia. Aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology, 19, 115–122. https://doi.org/10.1590/s1679-62252013000100009
  30. Nielsen, D.T.B. & Pillet, D. (2015) Spectrolebias bellidoi, a new annual fish (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae: Cynolebiatinae) from the upper Río Grande Basin, Amazon Basin, Bolivia. Aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology, 21, 180–187.
  31. Nielsen, D.T.B. & Ohara, W.M. (2024) A new restricted-range Melanorivulus (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) from the upper rio Guaporé, Chapada dos Parecis, Brazil. Zootaxa, 5496 (3), 332–342. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5496.3.2
  32. Ponzetto, J.M., Britzke, R., Nielsen, D.T.B., Parise-Maltempi, P.P. & Alves, A.L. (2016) Phylogenetic relationships of Simpsonichthys subgenera (Cyprinodontiformes, Rivulidae), including a proposal for a new genus. Zoologica Scripta, 45, 394–406. https://doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12159
  33. Prado, D.E. (1993) What is the Gran Chaco vegetation in South America? I. A review. Contribution to the study of flora and vegetation of the Chaco. V. Candollea, 48, 145–172.
  34. Silva, J.S.V. & Abdon, M.M. (1998) Delimitação do Pantanal brasileiro e suas sub-regiões. Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira, 33, 1703–1711.
  35. Spichiger, R., Ramella, L., Palese, R. & Mereles, F. (1991) Proposicion de leyenda para la cartografia de la vegetacion del Chaco paraguayo. Contribución al estudio de la flora y la vegetación del Chaco. III. Candollea, 46, 541–564.
  36. Taylor, W.R. & Van Dyke, G.C. (1985) Revised procedures for staining and clearing small fishes and other vertebrates for bone and cartilage study. Cybium, 9 (2), 107–109.
  37. Wourms, J.P. (1972) The developmental biology of annual fishes. III. Pre-embryonic and embryonic diapause of variable duration in the eggs of annual fishes. Journal of Experimental Zoology, 182, 389–414. https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.1401820310

How to Cite

Nielsen, D.T.B., Ribeiro, A.C., Ramos, T.P.A. & Catarino, M.F. (2026) Spectrolebias pantanalensis, a new cloud fish (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) from the Pantanal wetland, upper rio Paraguai basin, Brazil. Zootaxa, 5845 (1), 179–188. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5845.1.10