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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Phylogenetic study of the Characinae (Teleostei: Characiformes: Characidae)

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Author(s):
Mattox, George M. T. [1] ; Toledo-Piza, Monica [1]
Total Authors: 2
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Zool, Inst Biociencias, BR-05422970 Sao Paulo - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 1
Document type: Review article
Source: ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY; v. 165, n. 4, p. 809-915, AUG 2012.
Web of Science Citations: 24
Abstract

The Characinae is a subunit of the Characidae of special significance in including Charax, the type genus of the family and the order Characiformes. Twelve genera and 79 species have been traditionally assigned to the Characinae, but the subfamily still lacks a phylogenetic diagnosis. Herein, a data matrix including 150 morphological characters and 64 taxa (35 species representing all genera of the Characinae and 29 included in other lineages within the Characiformes) was submitted to two cladistic analyses that differ in the inclusion/exclusion of Priocharax due to the difficulty of coding most of the character states in the miniature species of this genus. Both analyses resulted in a non-monophyletic Characinae and this subfamily is herein restricted to only seven of the original 12 genera forming the clade (Phenacogaster((Charax Roeboides)(Acanthocharax(Cynopotamus(Acestrocephalus Galeocharax))))), which is supported by ten non-ambiguous synapomorphies and is more closely related to other genera of the Characidae than those traditionally placed in the subfamily. A second clade includes the members of the tribe Heterocharacini (Lonchogenys(Heterocharax Hoplocharax)) as the sister-group of Gnathocharax, supported by seven non-ambiguous synapomorphies. This clade is more closely related to a taxon formed by Roestes and Gilbertolus based on seven non-ambiguous synapomorphies. Results do not corroborate a close relationship between RoestesGilbertolus and the Cynodontinae. Inclusion of the genus Priocharax suggests that it is related more closely to the Heterocharacini, but the profound modifications in its anatomy possibly related to ontogenetic truncations obscure a better understanding of its relationships. A new classification of the Characinae and the Heterocharacinae is proposed. (c) 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 165, 809915. (AU)