Platyallabes tihoni
(Poll 1944) Poll 1977
| ORDER | SUB-ORDER | FAMILY |
|---|---|---|
| Siluriformes | Siluroidei | Clariidae |
Synonyms
Gymnallabes tihoni Poll 1944
Country
Lower Congo River: freshwaterSystematics
Platyallabes tihoni is the only species in the genus. The original description (Poll 1944) was based on a photograph. Redescribed by Poll (1957:240) where he selected a new "holotype" which Derijst (1991:43) regards as neotype designation. It was redescribed for a second time by Devaere et al. (2004). The species was moved from its original genus (Gymnallabes) by Poll (1977).
Biological Notes
The lower Congo River, and especially the northern and southern rapids below Pool Malebo, are home to many endemic species (Roberts and Stewart 1976, Bailey 1986, Thieme et al. 2005, Mamonekene 2005, Alter et al. 2015, Alter et al. 2017, Stiassny 2016). In particular there are at least eleven species, in five Families, which exhibit the troglomorphic features of reduced eyes and pigment:
Clariidae
Channallabes apus (Günther 1873) Teugels 1986
Dolichallabes microphthalmus Poll 1942
Gymnallabes nops Roberts and Stewart 1976
Platyallabes tihoni (Poll 1944) Poll 1977
Claroteidae
Notoglanidium pallidum Roberts and Stewart 1976
Mastacembelidae
Mastacembelus aviceps Roberts and Stewart 1976
Mastacembelus brichardi (Poll 1958) Vreven 2005
Mastacembelus crassus Roberts and Stewart 1976
Mastacembelus latens Roberts and Stewart 1976
Cichlidae
Lamprologus lethops Roberts and Stewart 1976
Mormyridae
Stomatorhinus microps Boulenger 1898
These features probably evolved because these species live at depth within the rapids and spend their whole lives in permanent darkness, analagous to life in caves. The ocular and craniofacial anatomy of several of these species have been studied (Schobert et al. 2010, 2011, 2013) but almost nothing else is known about these animals.
Conservation Status
Moelants, T. 2010. Platyallabes tihoni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T182369A7871734. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T182369A7871734.en. Downloaded on 20 March 2020.
Museum Holdings
MRAC 13307 (original holotype), MRAC 73-68-P-143, MRAC 138698–699, 1 25345–349, MRAC 73-22-P-3127, BMNH 1976.5.21.30–39, MCZ 50239, MCZ 88947, MCZ 50537, MCZ 50297 (Devaere et al. 2005).
Internet Resources
Main page for the Congo Project
Elizabeth Alter's work on Congo fishes
New York Times article with good photographs
Convergent evolution in the Congo rapids
Melanie Stiassny video presentation on the Congo River fishes
Genbank cytochrome b (Wright and Bailey 2012)
Key References
- Poll, M. (1944)
- Poll, M. (1957)
- Poll, M. (1977)
- Derijst, E. (1991)
- Adriaens, D., Devaere, S., Teugels, G.G., Dekegel, B. and Verraes, W (2002)
- De Schepper, N; Adriaens, D; Teugels, GG; et al. (2004)
- Devaere, S., D. Adriaens, G. G. Teugels and W. Verraes (2005)
- Devaere, S., Adriaens, D., Teugels, G.G., De Clerck, N.M. and Postnov, A.A. (2005)
- Jansen, G., Devaere, S., Weekers, P.H.H. and Adriaens, D. (2006)
- Schobert, C.S., Stiassny, M.L.J., Jeffery, W.D. and Dubielzig, R.R. (2011)
- Stiassny, M.L.J., Monsembula Iyaba, R.J.C., Liyandja, T., Mbimbi Mayi Munene, J.J., Yoko, M., and Alter, E. (2018)
- Stiassny, M.L.J. (2019)
- Elbein, A. (2020)
| Poll, M. | Journal Article | 1944 | Description préliminaire d'un Clariidae nouveau observé à Léopoldville par M. L. Tihon |
| Poll, M. | Journal Article | 1957 | Redescription de Gymnallabes tihoni Poll 1944, Clariidae microphalme du Stanley Pool (Congo belge) |
| Poll, M. | Journal Article | 1977 | Les genres nouveaux Platyallabes et Platyclarias comparés au genre Gymnallabes Gthr. Synopsis nouveau des genres de Clariidae |
| Derijst, E. | Journal Article | 1991 | Kataloog der ichthyologische publikaties en nieuwe taxa beschreven door: Dr. Max Poll |
| Adriaens, D., Devaere, S., Teugels, G.G., Dekegel, B. and Verraes, W | Journal Article | 2002 | Intraspecific variation in limblessness in vertebrates: a unique example of microevolution |
| De Schepper, N; Adriaens, D; Teugels, GG; et al. | Journal Article | 2004 | Intraspecific variation in the postcranial skeleton morphology in African clariids: a case study of extreme phenotypic plasticity |
| Devaere, S., D. Adriaens, G. G. Teugels and W. Verraes | Journal Article | 2005 | Morphology and spatial constraints in a dorso-ventrally flattened skull, with a revised species description of Platyallabes tihoni (Poll, 1944) |
| Devaere, S., Adriaens, D., Teugels, G.G., De Clerck, N.M. and Postnov, A.A. | Journal Article | 2005 | Skeletal morphology of the holotype of Gymnallabes nops Roberts & Stewart, 1976, using micro CT-scanning |
| Jansen, G., Devaere, S., Weekers, P.H.H. and Adriaens, D. | Journal Article | 2006 | Phylogenetic relationships and divergence time estimate of African anguilliform catfish (Siluriformes: Clariidae) inferred from ribosomal gene and spacer sequences |
| Schobert, C.S., Stiassny, M.L.J., Jeffery, W.D. and Dubielzig, R.R. | Journal Article | 2011 | Comparative ocular anatomy In troglomorphic fish: Sensory compensation for reduced vision |
| Stiassny, M.L.J., Monsembula Iyaba, R.J.C., Liyandja, T., Mbimbi Mayi Munene, J.J., Yoko, M., and Alter, E. | Conference Paper | 2018 | The evolution of extreme phenotypic convergence across fish lineages in the hyper-diverse Lower Congo River |
| Stiassny, M.L.J. | Journal Article | 2019 | Fishes in the lower Congo River An extreme case of species divergence and convergent evolution |
| Elbein, A. | Web Page | 2020 | Earth’s deepest river conceals an evolutionary mystery |