Charax metae

description

Description. Morphometrics of examined specimens presented in Table 9. Body elongate, moderately large (37 - 99 mm SL), compressed and moderately deep. Greatest body depth slightly in advance of dorsal-fin origin. Dorsal profile of head and body convex from tip of snout to anterior portion of fontanel, concave from that point to base of supraoccipital spine, convex from that point to dorsal-fin origin, nearly straight along dorsal-fin base, straight to slightly convex from end of dorsal-fin base to caudal peduncle and slightly concave along caudal peduncle. Ventral profile of head and body convex from tip of lower jaw to anal-fin origin, nearly straight along anal-fin base and slightly concave from end of anal-fin base to beginning of procurrent rays. Snout pointed. Lower jaw included in upper jaw when mouth closed. Maxilla extending slightly posterior to vertical through posterior border of orbit. Dorsal-fin rays ii, 9 in all specimens; posterior most ray unbranched. Adipose fin present. Unbranched anal-fin rays iv or v, usually iv, branched rays 39 - 43, 41.2. Pectoral-fin rays i, 14 - 16, 14.7. Tips of longest pectoral-fin rays reaching to about vertical through middle of pelvic

A taxonomic review of the species of Charax Scopoli, 1777 (Teleostei: Characidae: Characinae) with description of a new species from the rio Negro bearing superficial neuromasts on body scales, Amazon basin, Brazil

description

Fig. 16 Charax metae Eigenmann, 1922: 238 (original description, type locality: Colombia, Barrigón, Orinoco system, río Meta). - Ibarra & Stewart, 1987: 22 (listed in type catalog). - Lucena, 1987: 44 (diagnosis; description; distribution). - Lucena, 1989: 201 (in key to species). - Vari & Howe, 1991: 13 (listed in type catalog). - Lucena & Menezes, 2003: 201 (maximum length; distribution).

A taxonomic review of the species of Charax Scopoli, 1777 (Teleostei: Characidae: Characinae) with description of a new species from the rio Negro bearing superficial neuromasts on body scales, Amazon basin, Brazil

diagnosis

Diagnosis. Charax metae, Charax delimai, C. tectifer, some specimens of C. gibbosus, C. rupununi, and C. condei are the only species of the genus bearing teeth on the ectopterygoid bone. Charax metae differs from C. condei by having the lateral line complete (versus incomplete), from C. gibbosus and C. rupununi which have the anal-fin origin anterior to the vertical through the dorsal-fin origin in having the anal-fin origin through vertical or slightly posterior to, dorsal fin-origin. Charax metae can be readily distinguished from C. tectifer by the presence (vs. absence) of the dorsoventrally arranged superficial neuromasts on the trunk scales (Fig. 2), except the lateral line and from C. delimai by having more ectopterygoid teeth (20 - 50 vs. 3 - 15), fewer transverse scale rows between the humeral spot and the supracleithrum (7 - 9 vs. 10 - 12) and the humeral spot distance 41.6 - 47 % of SL (vs. 48 - 51 % of SL, Fig. 3).

A taxonomic review of the species of Charax Scopoli, 1777 (Teleostei: Characidae: Characinae) with description of a new species from the rio Negro bearing superficial neuromasts on body scales, Amazon basin, Brazil

distribution

Distribution. Charax metae is known from the río Meta, Colombia (Fig. 7). Specimens examined. CAS 69117, 16 paratypes, 37 - 87 mm SL, Colômbia, Meta, Puerto Barrigona (= Barrigón) at head of navigation east of Bogota, approximately 10 ° 34 ’ N 75 ° 11 ’ W, 73 ° 45 ’ W.

A taxonomic review of the species of Charax Scopoli, 1777 (Teleostei: Characidae: Characinae) with description of a new species from the rio Negro bearing superficial neuromasts on body scales, Amazon basin, Brazil