Fluviphylax gouldingi Bragança, 2018

Family:  Fluviphylacidae (American lampeyes)
Max. size:  1.43 cm SL (male/unsexed); 1.39 cm SL (female)
Environment:  benthopelagic; freshwater; depth range 0 - 1 m
Distribution:  South America: Brazil.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal soft rays (total): 5-6; Anal soft rays: 7-8; Vertebrae: 27-28. This species is distinguished from its congeners by having a sharp ventral process on the opercle (vs. absent); subopercle narrow (vs. wide); interopercle narrow (vs. wide); filamentous second pelvic-fin ray (vs. not filamentous); all cephalic lateral line system opened in males and females (vs. closed); no mesethemoid (vs. present); presence of an orange bright blotch on the preorbital region of both males and females (vs. absent); similar to F. wallacei and differs from all other congeners by having a slender retroarticular (vs. deep); opercle triangular-shaped (vs. scale-shaped); males with an orange colouration on the posterior region of the pectoral fin (vs. hyaline); head neuromasts not placed inside shallow groves (vs. in shallow grooves). Other characters not unique but useful to identify tis species include: second and fourth pharyngobranchial tooth plates not enlarged (vs. enlarged); no teeth on second pharyngobranchial plate (vs. present); ventral process of posttemporal short (vs. long); with rostral cartilage (vs. absent); anterodorsal process of opercle non-existent (vs. present); an elongate and pointed anal fin reaching vertical to dorsal-fin tip (vs. short and rounded) (Ref. 123788).
Biology:  Collected close to the deadwood in a shallow, slow flowing, high transparency black-water stream, about 30-50 cm deep with dense vegetation. In the small stream they were found in small shoals of about 3-5 individuals swimming near the surface, while in the Lago Tiburiari this species formed larger shoals of about 20 individuals. Found sympatrically was the miniature scoloplacid, Scoloplax dolicholophia (Ref. 123788),
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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