Metadata

Rhamdia laluchensis

Weber, Allegrucci and Sbordoni 2003

Rhamdia laluchensis
Illustration from Weber, Allegrucci and Sbordoni 2003
ORDERSUB-ORDERFAMILY
SiluriformesSiluroideiHeptapteridae

Synonyms

None.

Country

México

Types

Holotype: ZMH 9373, 119.5mm SL. Paratypes: ZMH 9374, 4 specimens, 60.2-77.0mm SL; BMNH 1982.10.27:1-5, 5 specimens, 65.3-108.7mm SL. 

Distribution

Known only from the type locality: Sistema de La Lucha, Municipio Ocozocoautla, Chiapas, Mexico (entrance c. 5 km southwest of the village of Aguablanca on the eastern shore of the Malpaso Reservoir) (17o03’40”N, 93o53’23”W).

Habitat

The Sistema de La Lucha normally carries a small resurgent stream but floods dramatically at times. The stream rises from a flooded passage and both the outlet and a lake further downstream contain many individuals of R. laluchensis. Water temperature was 18oC in April. There is a rich fauna within the cave. (Details from Weber, Allegrucci and Sbordoni 2003). A very troglomorphic species of Procambarus (Crustacea: Decapoda: Cambaridae), Procambarus adani Álvarez, Torres and Villalobos 2021, is also found in this cave suggesting that it has been isolated from surface to cave geneflow for a long time.

Systematics

A member of the Rhamdia laticauda species group (Weber 1996). Probably reproductively isolated from other populations of Rhamdia.

Arroyave and De La Cruz-Fernandez (2021) studied all four Mexican troglobitic Rhamdia (R. reddelli, R. zongolicensis, R. macuspanensis and R. laluchensis) with both genetics and morphology. They discovered that all four species are probably populations of the epigean Rhamdia laticauda but they refrained from making nomenclatural decisions, and thus placing all four as troglobitic populations of R. laticauda, until further data become available. The four species thus retain their current names for the timebeing (August 2021).

Conservation Status

TLO [VU:3.1:2019]

Arroyave, J. and Schmitter-Soto, J. 2019. Rhamdia laluchensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T132675480A132675647. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T132675480A132675647.en. Downloaded on 04 February 2021.

Museum Holdings

As above only.

Key References

Silfvergrip, A.M.C. Book 1996 A systematic revision of the neotropical catfish genus Rhamdia (Teleostei, Pimelodidae)
Perdices, A., Bermingham, E., Montilla, A. and Doadrio, I. Journal Article 2002 Evolutionary history of the genus Rhamdia (Teleostei: Pimelodidae) in Central America
Weber, A, Allegrucci, G and Sbordoni, V Journal Article 2003 Rhamdia laluchensis, a new species of troglobitic catfish (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae) from Chiapas, Mexico
Weber, A Thesis 2003 Taxonomie und Artstatus hohlenbewohnender und oberirdischer Welse der Gattung Rhamdia (Pimelodidae, Teleostei) in Mexiko
Hulsey, C.D. and Lopez-Fernandez, H. Book Section 2011 Nuclear Central America
Palacios-Vargas, J.G., Juberthie, C. and Reddell, J. Book 2014-2015 Encyclopaedia Biospeologica Mexico
Ricci, J.M.B.,Martinez, E.R.M., Butzge, A.J., Doretto, L.B., Oliveira, M.A., Bombardelli, R.A., Bogerd, J. and Nóbrega, R.H. Journal Article 2018 Characterization of vasa homolog in a neotropical catfish, Jundiá (Rhamdia quelen): Molecular cloning and expression analysis during embryonic and larval development
Scaglione, M.C., Cerutti, R.D., Arfuso, F. and Piccione, G. Journal Article 2018 Light and dark rations and the photic entrainment of circadian locomotor activity patterns in the South American Silver Catfish (Rhamdia quelen, Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
Koerber, S. and Reis, R.E. Journal Article 2019 The current situation of Rhamdia Bleeker, 1858 (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae) – Gather available information, define a zero point, and start all over again
Koerber, S. and Reis, R.E. Journal Article 2020 Evidence for the true type-locality of Rhamdia quelen (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae), and the geographical origin and invalid neotype designation of four of its synonyms
Warren, M.L. and Burr, B.M. Book 2020 Freshwater fishes of North America. Volume 2 Characidae to Poeciliidae
Thomas, M.R. and Sabaj, M.H. Book Section 2020 Heptapteridae: Seven-finned catfishes
Álvarez, F., Torres, E. and Villalobos, J.L. Journal Article 2021 New species of crayfish of the genus Procambarus, and notes on Procambarus pilosimanus (Decapoda:Cambaridae) from Chiapas, Mexico
Arroyave, J. and De La Cruz Fernández, D.A. Journal Article 2021 Genetic and morphological evidence cast doubt on the validity of Mexican troglobitic species of the Neotropical catfish genus Rhamdia (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae).