Journal Article

Integrative morphological, cytogenetic and molecular characterization of the Andean climbing catfish Astroblepus mindoensis (Regan, 1916) (Siluriformes:Astroblepidae)

Nirchio, M., Oliveira, C., de Bello Cioffi, M., Sassi, F.M.C., Rizzi, F.P., Benavides, S W.N., Berrones, A.J.C., Romero, J.F.R., Deon, G.A., Kuranaka, M., Valdiviezo-Rivera, J.S., Carrión Olmedo, J.C., and Rossi, A.R.

Record Number:
6755
Year:
2024
Journal:
Journal of Fish Biology
Pages:
1-13
Volume:
xx
Abstract:
Astroblepus species, commonly known as Andean climbing catfish, exhibit a unique challenge in species delimitation, leading to ongoing taxonomic debates. Here we report data on Astroblepus mindoensis, a vulnerable species endemic to Ecuador, obtained by an integrative approach that includes cytogenetic analysis, molecular identification of the specimens, and recording of morphological and morphometric characters useful for species diagnosis. Thus, this study aimed to associate the karyotype data of the specimens analyzed with morphological and molecular characters, improving and expanding the existing taxonomic information, thus contributing to the systematics of the species. Our morphology results, unlike Regan's original description, which is brief and ambiguous, provide a more detailed morphometric and meristic description. Molecular phylogenetic reconstruction and genetic distance based on a fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) showed that our samples constitute a well-supported and monophyletic clade within the A. grixalvii species complex. The cytogenetic analysis identified distinct chromosomal markers, including a single cluster of major ribosomal genes (on chromosome pair 3) and of minor ribosomal genes (on chromosome pair 12) with their localization differing from those reported in other Astroblepus species analyzed. Additionally, the presence of a heteromorphic chromosome pair in males suggests the presence of an XX/XY sexdetermination system that has not been identified in other congeneric species. Further investigation is necessary to determine if these chromosomes are associated with the accumulation of repeated sequences, as typically occurs with sex chromosomes, and to assess their presence in other species of the genus.
Times Cited:
1
Related Records:
Humboldt, F. H. A. (1805)
IVe Memoire, sur une nouvelle espece de Pimelode, jetee par les volcans du Royaume de Quito
Johnson, R.D.O. (1912)
Notes on the habits of a climbing catfish (Arges marmoratus) from the Republic of Colombia
Collette, B. B. (1962)
Astroblepus pholeter, a new species of cave-dwelling catfish from eastern Ecuador
Chardon, M. (1966)
Specialisation anatomique de l'appareil de Weber d'Astroblepus pholeter, Silure cavernicole microphthalme de la Republique de l'Equateur
Chardon, M. (1968)
Anatomie comparee de l'appareil de Weber et des structures connexes chez les Siluriformes
Balazs, D. (1972)
The Jumandi Caves of Ecuador
Balazs, D. (1974)
The Jumandi Caves of Ecuador
Montoriol-Pons, J. (1976)
[A note on the Jumandi Cave (Archidona, Napo Province)]
Sket, B. (1979)
[Fauna in the Caverna de Jumandi]
Brown, P (1981)
Southampton University expedition to Ecuador 1979
Hanson, P. D. (1981)
The aquatic fauna
Brown, P. and Hanson, P.D. (1981)
The Jumandi Cave of Ecuador
Sket, B. (1985)
Bogidiella (s.l.) gammariformis sp. n. (Amphipoda) from Ecuador
Peck, S. B. (1985)
The invertebate fauna of the tropical American caves. Part 6:Jumandi Cave, Ecuador
Peck, S.B. (1994)
Ecuador
Buitrago-Suarez, U.A. and Galvis, G. (1997)
Description of some accessory stuctures of the urogenital system in the neotropical Family Astrobelpidae (Pisces, Siluroidei)
Nico, L.G. (2001)
Alexander Von Humboldt (1769-1859): Contributions to knowledge of New World fishes
Romero, A. and Paulson, K.M. (2001)
Humbodt's alleged subterranean fish from Ecuador
Schaefer, S.A. and Buitrago-Suarez, U.A. (2002)
Odontode morphology and skin surface features of Andean astroblepid catfishes (Siluriformes, Astroblepidae)
Soares, D. (2010)
Cavefishes as models for sensory adaptation
Schaefer, S.A. and Arroyave, J. (2010)
Rivers as islands: determinants of the distribution of Andean astroblepid catfishes
Schaefer, S.A., Chakrabarty, P., Geneva, A.J. and Sabaj Pérez, M.H. (2011)
Nucleotide sequence data confirm diagnosis and local endemism of variable morphospecies of Andean astroblepid catfishes (Siluriformes: Astroblepidae)
Haspel, G., Schwartz, A., Streets, A., Camacho, D.E. and Soares, D. (2012)
By the teeth of their skin, cavefish find their way
Haspel, G., Schwartz, A. and Soares, D. (2012)
Unique mechanosensory adaptation to extreme environments in cavefish
Spadella, M.A., Oliveira, C., Ortega, H., Quagio-Grassiotto, I. and Burns, J.R. (2012)
Male and female reproductive morphology in the inseminating genus Astroblepus (Ostariophysi: Siluriformes: Astroblepidae)
Conway, K.W., Lujan, N.K., Lundberg, J.G., Mayden, R.L. et al (2012)
Microanatomy of the paired-fin pads of ostariophysan fishes (Teleostei: Ostariophysi)
Crop, W.D., Pauwels, E., Hoorebeke, L.V. and Geerinckx, T. (2013)
Functional morphology of the Andean climbing catfishes (Astroblepidae, Siluriformes): alternative ways of respiration, adhesion, and locomotion using the mouth
Bauz, R., Andrea, C., Mena, A. and Estefania, A. (2015)
Revista sobre la biodiversidad y el ecoturismo de las Cavernas de Jumandy, en el cantón Archidona en la Provincia de Napo-Tena
Hoese, G., Addison, A., Toulkeridis, T. and Toomey, R. (2015)
Observation of the catfish Chaetostoma microps climbing in a cave in Tena, Ecuador
Lujan, N.K. and Conway, K.W. (2015)
Life in the fast lane: A review of rheophily in freshwater fishes
Sánchez, J., Zurita, M., Schwarz, A., Cárdenas, V.,Bonilla, J., Quilumba, D., ... and Monar, M. (2017)
Guía espeleológica de la Provincia de Napo.
Robinson, J., Kopp, J., Finocchiaro, A. and Espinasa, L. (2017)
Astroblepus pholeter: Convergent regressive evolution of the mc1r gene in cavefish species
Espinasa, L., Christoforides, S. and Morfessis, S.E. (2017)
Sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA of epigean and hypogean diplurans in the Jumandi Cave area, Ecuador
Constantin, S., Toulkeridis, T., Moldovan, O.T., Villacís, M. and Addison, A. (2018)
Caves and karst of Ecuador – state of the art and research perspectives
Espinasa, L., Robinson, J. and Espinasa, M. (2018)
Mc1r gene in Astroblepus pholeter and Astyanax mexicanus: Convergent regressive evolution of pigmentation across cavefish species
Espinasa, L., Robinson, J., Soares, D., Hoese, G., Toulkeridis, T. and Toomey, R. (2018)
Troglomorphic features of Astroblepus pholeter, a cavefish from Ecuador, and possible introgressive hybridization
Espinasa, L., Hoese, G., Toulkeridis, T. and Toomey, R. (2018)
Corroboration that the Mc1rGly/Ser mutation correlates with the phenotypic expression of pigmentation in Astroblepus
Conde-Saldan, C.C., Souza Cunha, M., Albornoz-Garzo, J.G., Valiati Barreto, C.A., Ibagon, N., Villa-Navarro, F.A. and Abdala Dergam, J. (2019)
Karyotypic divergence of two co-occurring species of Andean climbing catfishes (Siluriformes: Loricarioidei: Astroblepidae)
Crawford, C.H., Randall, Z.S., Hart, P.B., Page, L.M., Chakrabarty, P., Suvarnaraksha, A. and Flammang, B.E. (2020)
Skeletal and muscular pelvic morphology of hillstream loaches (Cypriniformes: Balitoridae)
Ochoa, L.E., Melo, B.F., García-Melo, J.E., Maldonado-Ocampo, J.A., Souza, C.S., Albornoz-Garzón, J.G., Conde-Saldaña, C.C., Villa-Navarro, F., Ortega-Lara, A. and Oliveira, C. (2020)
Species delimitation reveals an underestimated diversity of Andean catfishes of the family Astroblepidae (Teleostei: Siluriformes)
Jiménez, A., Ampuero, A., Valencia, B.G., Mayta, V.C., Cruz, F.W., Vuille, M., Novello, V.F., Misailidis Stríkis, N., Aranda, N., Conicelli, B., (2022)
Stable isotope variability of precipitation and cave drip-water at Jumandy cave, western Amazon River basin (Ecuador)
Soares, D. (2022)
Evolutionary insights and constraints from the nervous systems and behavior of cavefish
Nirchio, M., Oliveira, C., de Bello Cioffi, M., Sassi, F.M.C., Rizzi, F.P., Benavides, S W.N., Berrones, A.J.C., Romero, J.F.R., Deon, G.A., Kuranaka, M., Valdiviezo-Rivera, J.S., Carrión Olmedo, J.C., and Rossi, A.R. (2024)
Integrative morphological, cytogenetic and molecular characterization of the Andean climbing catfish Astroblepus mindoensis (Regan, 1916) (Siluriformes:Astroblepidae)