Two new, remarkably colored species of the Neotropical catfish genus Cetopsorhamdia Eigenmann & Fisher, 1916 (Siluriformes, Heptapteridae) from Chapada dos Parecis, western Brazil, with an assessment of the morphological characters bearing on their phylogenetic relationships

Two new species of heptapterid catfish genus Cetopsorhamdia are described from close localities in western Brazil, at Chapada dos Parecis, an area with extremely high level of endemism. One species is from the upper Rio Madeira system, Rondônia State, and the other from the upper Rio Tapajós system, Mato Grosso State. The two species are diagnosed, among several other features, by their markedly distinctive color patterns, with the former having well-defined quadrangular marks in trunk flanks while the latter bearing irregular, vertical bars along the trunk. The monophyly of Cetopsorhamdia is discussed, with two putative synapomorphies being proposed to support the genus. Potentially informative morphological characters to resolve the internal relationships of the genus are presented and discussed. Despite the striking external differences between the two species herein described, they are found to likely form a clade

Anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of a new catfish species from northeastern Argentina with comments on the phylogenetic relationships of the genus Rhamdella Eigenmann and Eigenmann 1888 (Siluriformes, Heptapteridae)

Rhamdella cainguae, a new species of the family Heptapteridae is described from the Arroyo Cuña-Pirú, a tributary of the Río Paraná, in the subtropical forest of Misiones, northeastern Argentina. The presence of a large differentiated ovoid area on the supraorbital laterosensory canal along the frontal-sphenotic boundary, delimited by the slender dorsal walls of the bones, and with no foramen for a laterosensory branch, is an autapomorphy for R. cainguae. A detailed description of the skeleton and laterosensory system of R. cainguae is provided. The genus Rhamdella is rediagnosed on the basis of three autapomorphies: a very large opening in the frontal for the exit of the s6 (epiphyseal) branch of the supraorbital laterosensory canal (reversed in R. rusbyi), a large optic foramen, and a dark stripe along the lateral surface of the body (reversed in R. rusbyi). Rhamdella is considered to be the sister group of a large heptapterid clade composed of the Nemuroglanis sub-clade plus the genera Brachyglanis, Gladioglanis, Leptorhamdia, and Myoglanis. Rhamdella is herein restricted to five valid species: R. aymarae, R. cainguae, R. eriarcha, R. longiuscula, and R. rusbyi. A sister group relationship between R. aymarae and R. rusbyi is supported by three synapomorphies. Rhamdella cainguae shares 12 apomorphic features with R. eriarcha and R. longiuscula.Fil: Bockmann, Flávio. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Miquelarena, Amalia Maria. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - la Plata. Instituto de Limnología "dr. Raul A. Ringuelet". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Cs.naturales y Museo. Instituto de Limnología; Argentin

Anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of a new catfish species from northeastern Argentina with comments on the phylogenetic relationships of the genus Rhamdella Eigenmann and Eigenmann 1888 (Siluriformes, Heptapteridae)

Rhamdella cainguae, a new species of the family Heptapteridae is described from the Arroyo Cuña-Pirú, a tributary of the Río Paraná, in the subtropical forest of Misiones, northeastern Argentina. The presence of a large differentiated ovoid area on the supraorbital laterosensory canal along the frontal-sphenotic boundary, delimited by the slender dorsal walls of the bones, and with no foramen for a laterosensory branch, is an autapomorphy for R. cainguae. A detailed description of the skeleton and laterosensory system of R. cainguae is provided. The genus Rhamdella is rediagnosed on the basis of three autapomorphies: a very large opening in the frontal for the exit of the s6 (epiphyseal) branch of the supraorbital laterosensory canal (reversed in R. rusbyi), a large optic foramen, and a dark stripe along the lateral surface of the body (reversed in R. rusbyi). Rhamdella is considered to be the sister group of a large heptapterid clade composed of the Nemuroglanis sub-clade plus the genera Brachyglanis, Gladioglanis, Leptorhamdia, and Myoglanis. Rhamdella is herein restricted to five valid species: R. aymarae, R. cainguae, R. eriarcha, R. longiuscula, and R. rusbyi. A sister group relationship between R. aymarae and R. rusbyi is supported by three synapomorphies. Rhamdella cainguae shares 12 apomorphic features with R. eriarcha and R. longiuscula.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

The earliest iconographic record of Gobioides broussonnetii La Cepède, 1800 (Gobiiformes: Gobiidae): the species identity of the “Caramuru” paintings of Dutch Brazil (1624-1654)

During the Mauritian period of Dutch Brazil (1637‑1644), a great deal of information about the biota of northeastern Brazil was obtained, consisting of both written records and paintings. Among them is an eel-like fish, depicted in two paintings labeled “Caramurû” and “Caramuru”, whose taxonomic identity is controversial. One of them, attributed to Albert Eckhout, is part of the Theatrum Rerum Naturalium Brasiliae collection, stored at the Jagiellonian University Library, in Poland. This painting was possibly a model for the second “Caramuru”, of unknown authorship, which is deposited at the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences. These paintings are doubtfully identified as the snake eel Echiophis intertinctus (Ophichthidae, Anguilliformes), a proposal likely induced by the vulgar name “caramuru”, which is applied to muraenids and ophichthids in Brazil. After careful examination of these two paintings regarding the anatomical details depicted, we concluded that the fish corresponds, with great certainty, to Gobioides broussonnetii (Gobiidae, Gobiiformes), popularly known as “aimoré” and “tajasica”. Furthermore, we suggest the possibility that the written counterpart of these paintings is the description associated with the woodcut of the fish labeled as “Tajasica” in the Historia Naturalis Brasiliae (Marggraf in de Laet, 1648). The confusion probably stems from mismatches between Georg Marggraf’s descriptions and the images of organisms produced at the time, perhaps before the return of Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen’s entourage to Europe. In an attempt to support our conclusions about the identity of that fish, as well as for historical purposes, we also discuss the vernacular names applied to G. broussonnetii and the authorship of the notes made on those paintings

Anatomy and phylogenetic relationships of a new catfish species from northeastern Argentina with comments on the phylogenetic relationships of the genus Rhamdella Eigenmann and Eigenmann 1888 (Siluriformes, Heptapteridae)

Rhamdella cainguae, a new species of the family Heptapteridae is described from the Arroyo Cuña-Pirú, a tributary of the Río Paraná, in the subtropical forest of Misiones, northeastern Argentina. The presence of a large differentiated ovoid area on the supraorbital laterosensory canal along the frontal-sphenotic boundary, delimited by the slender dorsal walls of the bones, and with no foramen for a laterosensory branch, is an autapomorphy for R. cainguae. A detailed description of the skeleton and laterosensory system of R. cainguae is provided. The genus Rhamdella is rediagnosed on the basis of three autapomorphies: a very large opening in the frontal for the exit of the s6 (epiphyseal) branch of the supraorbital laterosensory canal (reversed in R. rusbyi), a large optic foramen, and a dark stripe along the lateral surface of the body (reversed in R. rusbyi). Rhamdella is considered to be the sister group of a large heptapterid clade composed of the Nemuroglanis sub-clade plus the genera Brachyglanis, Gladioglanis, Leptorhamdia, and Myoglanis. Rhamdella is herein restricted to five valid species: R. aymarae, R. cainguae, R. eriarcha, R. longiuscula, and R. rusbyi. A sister group relationship between R. aymarae and R. rusbyi is supported by three synapomorphies. Rhamdella cainguae shares 12 apomorphic features with R. eriarcha and R. longiuscula.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Correlations Between the Contributions of Individual IVS Analysis Centers

Within almost all space-geodetic techniques, contributions of different analysis centers (ACs) are combined in order to improve the robustness of the final product. So far, the contributing series are assumed to be independent as each AC processes the observations in different ways. However, the series cannot be completely independent as each analyst uses the same set of original observations and many applied models are subject to conventions used by each AC. In this paper, it is shown that neglecting correlations between the contributing series yields too optimistic formal errors and small, but insignificant, errors in the estimated parameters derived from the adjustment of the combined solution