Integrative approach reveals a new species of <i>Nematocharax</i> (Teleostei: Characidae)

Abstract

An integrative approach based on morphological and multilocus genetic data was used to describe a new species of Nematocharax from the headwaters of the upper Contas River on the Diamantina Plateau, north-eastern Brazil and to infer the relationships among evolutionary lineages within this fish genus. Multispecies coalescent inference using three mitochondrial and five nuclear loci strongly supports a basal split between Nematocharax venustus and the new species, whose distinctive morphological characters include absence of filamentous rays on pelvic fins of maturing and mature males, reduced anal-fin lobe length and lower body depth. The unique morphological and genetic traits of the population from the upper Contas River were supported by previous reports based on cytogenetics, DNA barcode and geometric morphometrics, reinforcing the validation of the new species. The conservation status of this new species is discussed.