Bryconops chernoffi

Bryconops chernoffi is a species of freshwater fish that inhabits the rivers of Brazil. Specifically, it is found in the Rio Maicuru and Rio Ipixuna; the latter is a tributary of the former, which is a tributary of the Amazon river main. B. chernoffi demonstrates a preference for clear-water streams with sandy and rocky bottoms.

Bryconops chernoffi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Characiformes
Family: Iguanodectidae
Genus: Bryconops
Species:
B. chernoffi
Binomial name
Bryconops chernoffi
Oliveira, Lima, & Bogotá-Gregory, 2018

Bryconops chernoffi is one of the more recent contributions to the genus, and is named after Professor Barry Chernoff, an American ichthyologist responsible for many contributions to the knowledge of the genus Bryconops. It is known to peacefully live alongside various other freshwater fish.

Description

Bryconops chernoffi ranges from 3.86–7.59 cm SL (standard length), with a holotype 5.96 cm SL.[1] This places it slightly to the smaller side of average for a member of Bryconops, as fish therein are usually between 6 and 8 inches SL.[2] It has a somewhat convex underside, with the deepest point of its body located just in front of the origin of the dorsal fin.[3]

The body is generally dark-gray, with a silvery belly and silvery region around the eye; the dark-gray portions retain prominence when a specimen is preserved in alcohol.[1] The snout and mouth are a light brown color. There may be some red coloration on the forward portion of the dorsal fin, which is otherwise dark;[4] a dark dorsal fin is only otherwise seen in congener Bryconops piracolina when it comes to features of Bryconops as a genus.[1]

Bryconops chernoffi bears similarities to several congeners, but has some features that can be used to differentiate it. One thing unique to B. chernoffi in the genus Bryconops is a streak of dark pigmentation along the location of the cleithrum (a bone that could be compared to a shoulder blade, found spanning from the pectoral fin to the top of the cranium).[1] Such a marking is rare even amongst Characiformes as a whole. B. chernoffi is similar to B. allisoni, but has fewer predorsal scales (8-9 vs. 10-12, respectively).[5] Congener B. rheoruber has the same number of predorsal scales, but is dissimilar in that it has fewer teeth.[6]

Taxonomy

Named in 2018, B. chernoffi has retained its original designation as a member of Bryconops.[7][8] It belongs to the subgenus Creatochanes, one of the two subgenera;[3] the other subgenus is the nominal Bryconops. It has a place in Creatochanes due to the bony and well-denticulated gill rakers, plus the presence of 1-3 teeth on either side of the maxillae.[1]

To compare, members of the Bryconops subgenus have no teeth on the maxillae, rarely one, and the gill rakers are poorly-denticulated.[9] This is part of why B. chernoffi and B. rheoruber can be told apart; B. rheoruber is a part of subgenus Bryconops.[6]

Etymology

The specific name "chernoffi" honors Professor Barry Chernoff, an American ichthyologist with many contributions to the knowledge of Bryconops and to ichthyology as a field.[10] He has described or co-authored original descriptions of various species of Bryconops. Chernoff is aware of his namesake, and learned of it via what he thought was a "junk email" that turned out to be a notification of a new species. He has written to the authors of the original description to thank them for their homage, saying it is "the honor of a lifetime".[4]

Distribution and ecology

Bryconops chernoffi was originally collected from the Rio Maicuru, a tributary of the Amazon River main.[1] Specifically, it was collected from a small pool in the Rio Ipixuna, which is itself a tributary of the Maicuru.[4] It demonstrates a preference for clear waters over a substrate of sand and/or rocks. Little else is known of its behavior or habits.

Conservation status

Bryconops chernoffi has not been evaluated by the IUCN. There is protection in place around parts of its natural environment in the form of two ecological and biological reserves that the Maicuru river passes through, the Maicuru and Grão-Pará.[11] These areas were legally codified as recently as 2006, offering B. chernoffi not only environmental protection but precedent for the establishment of further biological reserves that may cover the rest of its territory.[12]

References
  1. Silva-Oliveira, Cárlison; Lima, Flávio C. T.; Bogotá-Gregory, J. D. (November 2018). "A new species of Bryconops Kner (Characiformes: Iguanodectidae) from the Rio Maicuru, lower Amazon basin, Brazil". Zootaxa. 4514 (3): 372–382. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4514.3.4. PMID 30486203. S2CID 54164187. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2022). Species of Bryconops in FishBase. November 2022 version.
  3. "Bryconops chernoffi, Silva-Oliveira & Lima & Bogotá-Gregory, 2018". Plazi TreatmentBank. Plazi. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  4. Hughes, Emmy (19 April 2019). "Species of Fish, Bryconops chernoffi, Named for University Professor". The Wesleyan Argus. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  5. Silva-Oliveira, Cárlison; Canto, André L. C.; Ribeiro, Frank R. V. (23 July 2019). "A new tailspot tetra of the genus Bryconops (Teleostei: Iguanodectidae) from the lower rio Tapajós basin, Brazil". Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. 1087. doi:10.23788/IEF-1087. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  6. Silva-Oliveira, Cárlison; Sabaj, Mark Henry; Ota, Rafaela Priscila; Py-Daniel, Lúcia H. Rapp (6 June 2019). "Bryconops rheorubrum (Characiformes: Iguanodectidae), new species from the Rio Xingu Rapids, Brazil". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 166 (1): 1. doi:10.1635/053.166.0115. S2CID 210640024. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  7. "Bryconops chernoffi Silva-Oliveira, Lima & Bogotá-Gregory, 2018". GBIF. Global Biodiversity Information System. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  8. Bailly, Nicolas. "Bryconops chernoffi Silva-Oliveira, Lima & Bogotá-Gregory, 2018". World Register of Marine Species. Flanders Marine Institute. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  9. Chernoff, Barry; Machado-Allison, Antonio (31 December 2005). "Bryconops". doi:10.5281/zenodo.6265593. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. Scharpf, Christopher; Lazara, Kenneth J. (15 September 2020). "Order CHARACIFORMES: Families IGUANODECTIDAE, TRIPORTHEIDAE, BRYCONIDAE, CHALCEIDAE and GASTEROPELECIDAE". The ETYFish Project. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  11. Aleixo, Alexandre et al. Notes on the Vertebrates of northern Pará, Brazil: a forgotten part of the Guianan Region, II. Avifauna. Bol. Mus. Para. Emilio Goeldi Cienc. Nat. [online]. 2011, vol.6, n.1, pp.11-65. ISSN 1981-8114.
  12. Taitson, Bruno; Guazzelli, Ana Cíntia (4 December 2006). "New protected areas boost Amazon conservation". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
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