Relationship analysis between species of the genus Hisonotus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) based on DNA sequences

• Grant number: 13/05656-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: August 01, 2013
• End date: October 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Claudio de Oliveira
• Grantee: Fábio Fernandes Roxo
• Supervisor: James S. Albert
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Louisiana State University (LSU), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 10/01610-9 - Molecular analysis of Hisonotus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) genus species based on DNA sequences, BP.DR

Abstract

The family Loricariidae, one of the largest fish families in the world with 720 species, has been the subject of several taxonomic and systematic studies which have aimed in the understanding of diversity and general patterns of relationships among its genera and species. However, given the wide diversity of the group, many of the problems of the family was not resolved. Recent studies have divided the family Loricariidae into seven subfamilies: Hypoptopomatinae, Otothyrinae, Loricariinae, Hypostominae, Ancistrinae, Neoplecostominae and Lithogeneinae. Among Otothyrinae members the specious genus Hisonotus is distributed through Atlantic drainages of southern and southeastern Brazil, and recent studies using nuclear DNA sequences suggested that this genus could not be monophyletic. Currently, it comprises 31 valid species and possibly many others should be included in this group. Moreover, until recently the species of this genus had been identified as belonging to the genus Microlepidogaster, which currently has only two species. Thus, this project has the main objective to test the hypothesis that Hisonotus is monophyletic and study the relationships between the valid species of this genus and this species with Microlepidogaster. (AU)