NOTES ON GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION Check List 9(1): 142–145, 2013 © 2013 Check List and Authors ISSN 1809-127X (available at www.checklist.org.br) Chec List Journal of species lists and distribution Record of the genus Sicydium Valenciennes, 1837 (Gobiidae, Sicydiinae) from Brazil and extent of distribution of S. punctatum Perugia, 1896 Carlos Alberto S. de Lucena 1*, Zilda Margarete S. de Lucena 1, Leonardo Evangelista Moraes 2, Alexandre Clistenes de Alcântara Santos 3 and Marcelo Fulgêncio Guedes de Brito 4 1 Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia, Laboratório de Ictiologia. Av. Ipiranga 6681. CEP 90619900. Porto Alegre, RS. Brazil. 2 Laboratório de Ictiologia, Instituto de Oceanografia – Universidade Federal do Rio Grande. CP 474. Rio Grande, RS, Brazil. 3 Laboratório de Ictiologia. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas. Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Km 03 - BR 116 Norte, Novo Horizonte. CEP 33036-900. Feira de Santana, BA, Brazil. 4 Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Departamento de Biologia. CEP 49100-000. Sao Cristovao, SE, Brazil * Corresponding author. Email: lucena@pucrs.br Abstract: Sicydium punctatum, previously known from Panamá, Caribbean islands, and coastal drainages of Venezuela, has a distribution that extends up to coastal drainages of Bahia state, Brazil. The genus Sicydium is formally recorded for Brazilian freshwaters. Comparisons are made between S. punctatum and other species of the genus based on data from the literature and presented here. Sicydiines form a monophyletic group within the family Gobiidae (Parenti and Maciolek 1993; Keith et al. 2011), composed of nine monophyletic genera and approximately 90 species, distributed in the IndoPacific area, the Caribbean region, West Africa, western and eastern Mexico and Central America, Ecuador and Venezuela (Lyons, 2005; Keith et al. 2011). The Sicydiinae species are amphidromous; they spawn in freshwater and their newly hatched larvae head for the ocean where they undergo a planktonic phase before returning to freshwater to develop and reproduce (Lyons, 2005; Keith et al. 2011). Sicydium Valenciennes, 1837 is the sister group of Sicyopterus Gill, 1861 (Keith et al. 2011) and differs from the latter by having the upper lip with a lateral cleft near each corner of the mouth (vs. in the middle of the lateral side), lower lip with a fleshy lobe located dorsolaterally near each corner of the mouth (vs. lobe absent), lower lip bordered ventrally by a wide band of small papillae cells (vs. narrow band of papillae cells), row of premaxillary teeth curved anteriorly (vs. teeth extending anteriorly straightforward), and anterior teeth of the premaxilla equal in size to the subsequent (vs. anterior teeth smaller in size than the subsequent). For other characters, see Akihito and Meguro (1979) and Harrison (1993). The taxonomy of the species of the genus Sicydium is very confusing. Seventeen species are recognized: six of which occur in the West Atlantic (Central America, Caribbean region, and Venezuela), seven in the eastern Pacific (Central America, Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador), and three in West Africa (Liberia, Gulf of Guinea, Islands of Bioko, São Tomé, Príncipe, Bagaloo, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and Congo). The species of Sicydium from the West Atlantic are: S. adelum Bussing, 1996 (Costa Rica); S. buscki Evermann and Clark, 1906 and S. gilberti Watson, 2000 (Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico); S. gymnogaster Ogilvie-Grant, 1884 (Mexico and Honduras); S. plumieri (Bloch, 1786) (Greater and Lesser Antilles and Panama); and S. punctatum Perugia, 1896 (Greater and Lesser Antilles, Panama, and Venezuela) (Kullander, 2003). A review of the gobies from the collection of the Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia - PUCRS showed that three lots from a coastal river in Bahia, previously identified as Gobiosoma sp. and Gobionellus sp., are in fact S. punctatum. This species had been found in 2009 by LEM, ACAS, MFGB, and Rodrigo Caires (unpublished data) in two coastal rivers in the state of Bahia. We formally report the occurrence of the genus and species in Brazil (Figures 1-3). The material examined is deposited in the fish collection of the Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia- PUCRS (MCP) and Museu de Zoologia da Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (MZFS) under the following catalog numbers: MCP 42111, 2 females, 47.0 and 55.6 mm SL, and one male, 55.6 mm SL; MCP 43874, 2 females, 53.6 and 59.3 mm SL; and MCP 42113, 16 females, 31.5-41.7 mm SL (one 38.3 mm SL c&s), and 5 males 33.0-46.5 mm SL (one 34.4 mm SL c&s). The first two lots are from the Contas River (14°17’00” S, 039°12’00” W) and the third from the Pau Brasil River (São José Farm), Contas River drainage (14°19’00” S 039°01’00” W), all from Taboquinhas, Itacará, Bahia, collected on April 3, 2001 by Rogério L. Teixeira. MZFS 10004, 5, 50,6-60,8 mm SL from the Cachoeira Grande River in the Reserva Ecológica of Michelin, Igrapiuna, Bahia (13°45’S 39°09’W). The measurements (Table 1) and counts (Table 2) follow Watson (1995) and Miller and Stefanni (2001). The nomenclature of pores follows Akihito and Meguro (1979). Proportional measurements are expressed as percent of standard length (SL) and dial calipers were used to take all measurements to the nearest 0.1 mm. Two specimens cleared and stained (c&s) were prepared according to the 142 Lucena et al. | New records of Sicydium from Brazil method of Taylor and van Dyke (1985) for further analysis of the dentition. Range of meristic characters of our specimens is followed by the range given by Watson (2000) in brackets. The data for the other species included in the text were obtained from the following authors: OgilvieGrant (1884), Boulenger (1899), Heller and Snodgrass (1903), Regan (1906, 1914), Meek (1907), Eigenmann (1918), Brock (1942), Harrison (1993), Bussing (1996), Watson (2000), and Pezold et al. (2006). Sicydium punctatum was described from the Caribbean Isle of Martinique, and its known distribution includes the Figure 1. Localities of the records of Sicydium punctatum in Contas River drainage (yellow circle) and Cachoeira Grande River (white circle), Bahia state, Brazil. Greater and Lesser Antilles, Venezuela, and Caribbean slope of Panama (Watson, 2000). Watson (2000) in his review of the species of Sicydium from the Dominican region pointed out that S. punctatum differs from other species of the same area (S. buscki, S. plumieri and S. gilberti) by showing “ the upper jaw teeth tricuspid, lateral cusps rounded, medial cusp pointed, preopercular pores almost always M and O, pore N almost always absent, predorsal midline mostly naked with few scales anterior to first dorsal fin, belly usually naked, few cycloid scales may be present close to anus. Zigzag series of scales on caudal peduncle usually 1213 (range 11-15).” The specimens examined herein are in agreement in regard to all these characters. However, the examined males (Figure 2) lacked the three or four filamentous spines, in contrast to the specimens examined by Watson. In addition to the species treated in Watson (2000), the following species occur on the Atlantic slope of Central America: S. adelum and S. gymnogaster. Sicydium punctatum is distinguished from these species by the smaller number of scales in longitudinal series, 47-53 [48-63] (vs 61-68 in S. adelum, 60-74 and in S. gymnogaster), fewer teeth in the upper jaw, 31-36 [31-60] (vs. 61-78 in S. adelum). Among the species of the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America, S. punctatum differs by the following features: presence of tricuspid teeth in the upper jaw and by the absence of two dark longitudinal stripes on the body (vs. teeth bicuspide in S. altum and S. fayae and the presence of two dark stripes in the former, truncated teeth in S. hildebrandi, and unicuspid teeth in adults of S. cocoensis); belly naked (vs. Table 1. Measurements of Sicydium punctatum. n=number of specimens (from MCP collection only), SD=standard deviation MEASUREMENTS Standard length (mm) percents of Standard length Body depth at anal fin origin Body depth at pelvic disc origin Body width at anal fin origin Predorsal length Distance from snout to origin of second dorsal fin Preanal length Distance from snout to pelvic disc origin Distance from snout to anus Pelvic disc length First Dorsal fin base Second Dorsal fin base Caudal peduncle depth Caudal peduncle length Anal fin base Caudal fin length Pectoral fin length Head length percents of head length Head width Head depth Snout length Jaw length Eye diameter Cheek depth Postorbital length Interorbital width N 13 MIN 29.5 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 12 13 13 13.0 13.2 11.5 31.1 57.2 56.4 16.6 54.9 12.9 15.9 23.5 9.6 18.4 20.3 17.5 18.5 19.8 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 69.2 57.0 35.4 41.0 20.7 24.4 43.2 23.7 RANGE MAX MEAN 59.3 42.1 SD 9.695 16.2 15.5 15.9 38.2 61.1 61.3 21.2 58.7 19.4 25.0 28.5 11.8 23.6 25.4 24.7 23.0 23.9 14.8 14.5 13.4 35.5 59.0 59.0 18.6 56.4 15.1 20.2 26.6 10.5 21.1 22.9 21.1 20.5 21.9 0.978 0.697 1.435 1.821 1.184 1.718 1.459 1.263 2.038 2.506 1.583 0.760 1.590 1.509 2.117 1.565 1.077 82.9 68.8 51.3 53.2 30.9 42.3 53.8 38.0 76.9 64.2 42.0 46.4 24.8 29.9 47.7 31.1 4.198 4.002 5.063 3.749 3.365 4.766 3.182 4.023 143 Lucena et al. | New records of Sicydium from Brazil belly scaled in S. salvini, S. condotense, S. hildebrandi, and S. multipunctatum); caudal fin dusky without marks (vs. caudal fin with two bars in S. condotense); number of scales in longitudinal series, 47-53 [48-63] (vs. 60-71 in S. salvini, 85 in S. multipunctatum, 76 in S. hildebrandi, 70-76 in S. rosenbergi, and 80-106 in S. fayae). Finally, Sicydium punctatum differs from species of the genus inhabiting the West African coast by having tricuspid teeth in upper jaw and belly naked (vs. unicuspid teeth and belly scaled in S. brevifilei and S. bustamantei) and absence of dark bands on head (vs. 2 or 3 oblique bands of dark pigmentation on suborbital and preopercular regions of the head in S. crenilabrum). Watson (2000) has recorded S. punctatum for Delta Amacuro, Venezuela, from specimens in the post larval stage. This is the easternmost record of the species allowing us to hypothesize that the species during its planktonic stage of life reaches the northeastern coast of Brazil. The difficulty of capturing adults of Sicydium and lack of reference to collections may have caused the gap in the occurrence of the species. Other hypotheses may explain this record: (i) disjunct biogeographic distribution and (ii) introduction of the species by ballast water. The introduction of the exotic blenny Omobranchus punctatus in the Todos os Santos Bay by ballast water (Gerhardinger et al. 2006) was probably due to the presence of the Port of Aratu, where, docked ships from different areas such as the Indian Ocean, Pacific and Caribbean. The introduction of this species in close proximity to the occurrence of Sycidium punctatum increases the possibility of introduction by ballast water. It is important to note that knowledge of the various stages of the life style of the amphidromous species is crucial for its management and conservation (Keith, 2003), concluding that the importance of the coastal rivers of Bahia in the biology and ecology of S. punctatum deserves to be investigated. Table 2. Count frequencies of the specimens examined of Sicydium punctatum (from MCP collection only). First dorsal fin spines, VI, second dorsal fin rays, I+10, and branched caudal rays, 13, were invariable. Anal fin Pectoral fin rays Scales in lateral series Transverse series back Transverse series forward Zigzag scales series Scales around peduncle Upper jaw teeth (left side) I+9 1 16 2 47 2 13 1 12 1 12 6 23 6 31 1 I+10 14 17 4 48 3 14 4 15 3 13 7 24 3 33 1 18 5 49 1 15 2 16 5 15 1 25 2 34 2 19 4 50 3 16 4 18 3 51 1 17 1 19 1 52 2 18 1 26 2 35 3 36 3 40 1 53 1 Figure 2. Sicydium punctatum, Brazil, Bahia. Top-lateral view; bottom-ventral view: MCP 42113, male, 46.5 mm SL; Pau Brasil River, Contas River drainage. 144 Lucena et al. | New records of Sicydium from Brazil Figure 3. Sicydium punctatum, Brazil, Bahia. Top-lateral view; bottom-ventral view: MCP 43874, female, 59.3 mm SL; Contas River. Acknowledgments: William Crampton and Fernando Jerep provided us with literature. Barbara Calegari took the photographs of Figures 2 and 3 and helped us in preparing Figure 1. Dr. A. Leyva helped with English editing of the manuscript. LEM, ACAS and MFGB thank the support of Reserva Ecológica Michelin in Igrapiuna, Bahia state. Literature Cited Akihito [Prince] and K. Meguro 1979. On the differences between the genera Sicydium and Sicyopterus (Gobiidae). Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 26(2): 192-202. Boulenger, G. A. 1899. Description of a new genus of gobioid fishes from the Andes of Ecuador. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (Series 7) 4(20): 125-126. Brock, V.E. 1942. A new goby, Sicydium fayae, from the Tres Marias Islands, west coast of Mexico. Stanford Ichthyological Bulletin (4): 122-125. Bussing, W.A. 1996. Sicydium adelum, a new species of gobiid fish (Pisces: Gobiidae) from Atlantic slope streams of Costa Rica. Revista de Biologia Tropical 44(2): 819-825. Eigenmann, C.H. 1918. Eighteen new species of fishes from northwestern South America. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 56(7): 673-689. Gerhardinger, L., M. Freitas, A. Andrade & C. Rangel. 2006. Omobranchus punctatus (Teleostei: Blenniidae), an exotic blenny in the Southwestern Atlantic. Biological Invasions, 8: 941-946. Harrison, I. J. 1993. The West African sicydiine fishes, with notes on the genus Lentipes (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 4(3): 201-232. Heller, E. and R.E. Snodgrass 1903. Papers from the Hopkins Stanford Galapagos expedition, 1898-1899. XV. New fishes. Proceedings of the Washington Academy of Science 5: 189-229. Keith, P. 2003. Biology and ecology of amphidromous Gobiidae of the Indo-Pacific and the Caribbean regions. Journal of Fish Biology 63(4): 831–847. Keith, P., C. Lord, J. Lorion, S. Watanabe, K. Tsukamoto, A. Couloux and A. Dettai. 2011. Phylogeny and biogeography of Sicydiinae (Teleostei: Gobiidae) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Marine Biology 158(2): 311–326. Kullander, S.O. 2003. Family Gobiidae; p. 657-665. In R.E. Reis, S.O. Kullander and C.J. Ferraris (ed.). Check List of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre, Edipucrs. Lyons, J. 2005. Distribution of Sicydium Valenciennes 1837 (Pisces: Gobiidae) in Mexico and Central America. Hidrobiologica 15(2): 239243. Meek, S. E. 1907. Notes on fresh-water fishes from Mexico and Central America. Field Columbian Museum, Zoological Series 7(5): 133-157. Miller, P.J. and S. Stefanni. 2001. The eastern Pacific species of Bathygobius (Perciformes: Gobiidae). Revista Biologia Tropical 49(1): 141-156. Ogilvie-Grant, W. R. 1884. A revision of the fishes of the genera Sicydium and Lentipes, with descriptions of five new species. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1884 (pt 2): 153-172. Parenti, L.R. and J.A. Maciolek. 1993. New sicydiine gobles from Ponape and Palau, Micronesia, with comments on systematics of the subfamily Sicydiinae (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Bulletin of Marine Science 53(3): 945-972. Pezold, F., T. Iwamoto and I.J. Harrison. 2006. The California Academy of Sciences Gulf of Guinea Expedition (2001) V. Multivariate analysis of Sicydiines of São Tomé & Príncipe with redescription of Sicydium brevifile and S. bustamantei (Teleostei: Gobiidae) and a key to west African Sicydiines. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 57(34): 965-980. Regan, C. T. 1906. Class Pisces. Biologia Centrali-Americana. Part 93: 1-32. Regan, C. T. 1914. Fishes from the Condoto River, Colombia, collected by Dr. H. G. F. Spurrell. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (Series 8) 14(79): 31-33. Taylor, W. R. and G. C. van Dyke. 1985. Revised procedures for staining and clearing small fishes and other vertebrates for bone and cartilage study. Cybium, 9: 107-119. Watson, R.E. 1995. Gobies of the genus Stiphodon from French Polynesia, with descriptions of two new species (Teleostei: Gobiidae: Sicydiinae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 6(1): 33-48. Watson, R.E. 2000. Sicydium from the Dominican Republic with description of a new species (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Staatliches Beitrage für Naturkunde, serie A (Biologie) 608: 1-31. Received: September 2012 Accepted: December 2012 Published online: March 2013 Editorial responsibility: Tiago P. Carvalho 145