Morphological description of a new species of the genus Loricariichthys (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) using Computed Tomography (CT Scan)

• Grant number: 25/20243-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 02, 2026
• End date: March 01, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Claudio de Oliveira
• Grantee: Marcelo Augusto Ferreira Alves
• Supervisor: Mark Sabaj Perez
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Drexel University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/13929-2 - DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF ARMORED CATFISH OF THE GENUS Loricariichthys (LORICARIIDAE: LORICARIINAE) FROM THE ARAGUAIA RIVER BASIN, BP.IC

Abstract

Loricariinae is characterized by the combination of characters: presence of a long and depressed caudal peduncle, the absence of an adipose fin, and sexual dimorphism among species, including the occurrence of hypertrophied odontodes on the snout margin, pectoral fins, and the predorsal area in mature males. The genus Loricariichthys is widely distributed in South America, with few recent studies addressing its diversity. Loricariichthys can be diagnosed by the presence of bicuspid teeth; the lower lip of immature males and females bearing two thickened structures resembling pads covered with small papillae and irregular fringes along the posterior margin; and to possessing a double respiratory sac connected to the distal end of the esophagus. Considering the absence of morphological descriptions based on CT Scan images for the genus Loricariichthys, we intend to use this approach in combination with genetic data in an integrative analysis to provide a more detailed description of a new species found to the genus Loricariichthys.