Orestias gloriae, a new species of cyprinodontid fish from saltpan spring of the southern high Andes (Teleostei: Cyprinodontidae)

Abstract

Orestias gloriae, new species, is described from the isolated springs that drain into the Carcote saltpan in the southern high Andes, in the Chilean Altiplano, at an altitude of 3706 m a. s. l. (21°16'58.6 S 68°19'28.4 W). This is the only fish species found in these saltpan springs characterized by scarce vegetation, aquatic insects, crustaceans, and mollusks. The new species is separated from other species of Orestias by several unique characters such as a truncated cephalic lyre-like pattern of neuromasts represented only by the rostral series followed by few and large neuromasts irregularly placed; discontinuous series of infraorbital and preopercle-mandibular neuromasts; thick and irregularly-shaped ornamented cycloid scales covering the skull roof; scales covering the posterior part of the skull roof ankylosed into a plate. Additional characters are the presence of a protractile mouth and a characteristic karyotype. Although differences in sizes is a common sexually dimorphic feature found in Orestias, differences in the dentition on the fifth ceratobranchial distinsguish males and females of O. gloriae.