Revision of the species of the genus Cathorops (Siluriformes: Ariidae) from Mesoamerica and the Central American Caribbean, with description of three new species

Abstract

The ariid genus Cathorops includes species that occur mainly in estuarine and freshwater habitats of the eastern and western coasts of southern Mexico, Central and South America. The species of Cathorops from the Mesoamerica (Atlantic slope) and Caribbean Central America are revised, and three new species are described: C. belizensis from mangrove areas in Belize; C. higuchii from shallow coastal areas and coastal rivers in the Central American Caribbean, from Honduras to Panama; and C. kailolae from río Usumacinta and lago Izabal basins in Mexico and Guatemala. Additionally, C. aguadulce, from the río Papaloapan basin in Mexico, and C. melanopus from the río Motagua basin in Guatemala and Honduras, are redescribed and their geographic distributions are revised.O gênero de ariídeos Cathorops inclui espécies que habitam principalmente águas doces e estuarinas das plataformas orientais e ocidentais do sul do México, Américas do Sul e Central. Neste estudo, se apresenta uma revisão das espécies de Cathorops da Mesoamérica (bacias do Atlântico) e Caribe centroamericano, incluindo a descrição de três espécies novas: C. belizensis, de áreas de manglar em Belice; C. higuchii, de águas costeiras rasas e rios costeiros do Caribe centroamericano, desde Honduras até o Panamá; e C. kailolae, das bacias do rio Usumacinta e lago Izabal no México e Guatemala. Adicionalmente, se redescrevem C. aguadulce, da bacia do rio Papaloapan no México, e C. melanopus, da bacia do rio Motagua na Guatemala e Honduras, apresentando-se uma revisão de suas distribuições geográficas.

Changes in fish bycatch during the shrimp fishing season along the eastern coast of the mouth of the Gulf of California

“…and Cathorops spp.) is still under revision and may have contributed to differences in taxa aggregation (Kailola, ; Marceniuk, ; Marceniuk and Betancur, ). Additionally, the sampling sites used in our study were closer to the coastline and located in shallower waters relative to those sampled by previous authors.…”

Historical and Environmental Distribution of Ichthyofauna in the Tropical Wetland of Pantanos de Centla, Southern Gulf of Mexico

“…The identification of the fish species was based on the criteria established by Rauchenberger (1989), CastroAguirre et al (1999), Carpenter (2002a, Miller et al (2005), and Marceniuk and Betancur-R. (2008). The species are listed in the phylogenetic order proposed by Nelson (2006), and the updated species names were taken from the electronic FishBase web page (Froese and Pauly 2011).…”

“…Notes: From a biogeographic point of view, the ariid recorded for the Grijalva-Usumacinta Division (Marceniuk and Betancur-R. 2008) is Cathorops kailolae Marceniuk et Betancur-R., 2008. However, the specimens collected in the BRPC were identified as ] C. aguadulce as they had a shorter snout (6.8-8.6 vs. 9.3%-11.6% SL) and a smaller distance from the tip of the snout to the origin of the dorsal-fin (33.1-38.0 vs. 39.0%-40.7% SL), which are the two characteristics that separate it from its more similar congeneric species (Marceniuk and Betancur-R. 2008 (Schmitter-Soto 1998. The three species are distributed in the Usumacinta Province ).…”

“…In spite of the anthropogenic pressures and habitat losses recorded in the BRPC, the number of fish species is expected to increase with the inclusion of the three structured habitats and other sampling gears. In addition, the name and number of the species may vary following the recent changes in the taxonomic identities of fish , Marceniuk and Menezes 2007, Marceniuk and Betancur-R. 2008, López-Fernández et al 2010, McMahan et al 2010. The updated fish catalogue provides a base line from which to develop future comparative studies in the Usumacinta Province, and emphasizes the necessity to include structured habitats in monitoring programmes to evaluate fish biodiversity in wetlands.…”

Macrofaunistic Diversity in Vallisneria americana Michx. in a Tropical Wetland, Southern Gulf of Mexico

“…Macrocrustaceans were identified following the taxonomic characters published by Bousfield (1973), Lincoln (1979), Villalobos-Figueroa (1983), Williams (1984), Nates &Villalobos-Hiriart (1990), andPérez-Farfante &Kensley (1997). Fish species were identified considering the criteria established by Castro-Aguirre et al, (1999), Smith & Thacker (2000), Miller et al, (2005) and Marceniuk & Bentacur (2008). The trophic groups of all the species associated with V. americana were defined based on the information published by Hershler & Thompson (1992), Schmitter-Soto (1998), Miller et al, (2005), Rocha-Ramírez et al, (2007) and Froese & Pauly (2011).…”