A new species of Trichogenes (Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae ), with a discussion on the homologies of the anterior orbital bones in trichomycterids and other loricarioids

A new species of the rare genus Trichogenes is reported on the basis of specimens without locality and other associated data. The obvious distinctiveness, taxonomic relevance, and phylogenetic importance of the new taxon justify its description with material at hand. Trichogenes beagle, new species, differs from all congeners by the presence of tricuspidate teeth on its jaws; by the distribution of opercular odontodes along a wide area of the margin of the opercle; by the pale integumentary pigmentation, composed of few scattered small spots on dorsum and flanks, but lacking large spots near the base of the anal fin; and by the absence of differential concentration of dark chromatophores along the base of the dorsal fin. The new species differs further from each of its two congeners, T. longipinnis and T. claviger, by various additional traits of internal and external morphology and pigmentation. Trichogenes beagle seems to be the closest relative of T. claviger, the two species sharing a number of putatively derived traits not present in T. longipinnis, such as the presence of a large anterodorsal clawlike process on the neural arches of the anterior four free vertebrae. The three species now included in Trichogenes share all synapomorphies previously proposed for the genus, thus strongly supporting generic monophyly. The enigmatic disc-shaped orbital bone in T. beagle and congeners is homologous to a topologically equivalent rodlike structure in other trichomycterids. New comparative information corroborates the hypothesis that the bone is a neomorphic structure, here called the barbular bone. Previous proposals of its homology with the antorbital or supraorbital are refuted. Ontogenetic data demonstrate that the anterior element of the infraorbital series in trichomycterids is a fusion between the lacrimal and antorbital, as postulated-but previously poorly demonstrated-for other catfishes. The structure of the opercle in the new species is intermediate between the highly derived morphology in most trichomycterids and the plesiomorphic condition in other loricarioids, helping to understand the evolution of the opercle of trichomycterids. New information on T. claviger is reported on the basis of additional material.