Occurrence of contact organs and sexual dimorphism in fishes of the family Profundulidae (Actinopterygii: Cyprinodontiformes)

The family Profundulidae is one of the few families of freshwater fishes endemic to the Mesoamerican region, and one of the least speciose within the order Cyprinodontiformes, with only 13 valid species. Sexual dimorphism is poorly developed and sparsely studied in this family. Herein, we report the...

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Main Authors: Ernesto Velázquez-Velázquez, Sara E. Domínguez-Cisneros, Manuel de J. Anzueto-Calvo, Maritza F. Maza-Cruz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pensoft Publishers 2022-12-01
Series:Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria
Online Access:https://aiep.pensoft.net/article/93669/download/pdf/
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author Ernesto Velázquez-Velázquez
Sara E. Domínguez-Cisneros
Manuel de J. Anzueto-Calvo
Maritza F. Maza-Cruz
author_facet Ernesto Velázquez-Velázquez
Sara E. Domínguez-Cisneros
Manuel de J. Anzueto-Calvo
Maritza F. Maza-Cruz
author_sort Ernesto Velázquez-Velázquez
collection DOAJ
description The family Profundulidae is one of the few families of freshwater fishes endemic to the Mesoamerican region, and one of the least speciose within the order Cyprinodontiformes, with only 13 valid species. Sexual dimorphism is poorly developed and sparsely studied in this family. Herein, we report the presence of spicule-like organs of contact in scales and fins (anal and dorsal) in fishes of the family Profundulidae and discuss the use of spicules as a means to facilitate the identification of male and female in this family. Data from museum specimens of the 13 species of profundulid fishes were analyzed. We studied the following species: Tlaloc labialis (Günther, 1866); Tlaloc candalarius (Hubbs, 1924); Tlaloc hildebrandi (Miller, 1950); Tlaloc portillorum (Matamoros et Schaefer, 2010); Profundulus punctatus (Günther, 1866); Profundulus guatemalensis (Günther, 1866); Profundulus oaxacae (Meek, 1902); Profundulus balsanus Ahl, 1935; Profundulus kreiseri Matamoros, Schaefer, Hernández et Chakrabarty, 2012; Profundulus parentiae Matamoros, Domínguez-Cisneros, Velázquez-Velázquez et McMahan, 2018; Profundulus mixtlanensis Ornelas-García, Martínez-Ramírez et Doadrio, 2015; Profundulus adani Dominguez-Cisneros, Velázquez-Velázquez, McMahan, et Matamoros, 2021; Profundulus chimalapensis Del Moral-Flores, López-Segovia et Hernández-Arellano, 2020. Scales were observed and photographed with a Hitachi VP-MEB SU1510 scanning electron microscope; the spicules in fins were observed from specimens cleared and double-stained. This study revealed the presence of 1–10 spicules on the surface of the scales in males and its absence in females of all species analyzed. Numerous, small and thin spicules were also observed and they were restricted to the middle rays of the anal and dorsal fins of the males. The observation of spicules in the anal fins for the sexual identification of profundulid fishes constitutes an advantage of operational simplicity, speed, and potential for its application in taxonomic and ecological studies.
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spelling doaj.art-b0f0fdc5dadb4909a57dbebd74258a602022-12-22T03:53:18ZengPensoft PublishersActa Ichthyologica et Piscatoria1734-15152022-12-0152426126510.3897/aiep.52.9366993669Occurrence of contact organs and sexual dimorphism in fishes of the family Profundulidae (Actinopterygii: Cyprinodontiformes)Ernesto Velázquez-Velázquez0Sara E. Domínguez-Cisneros1Manuel de J. Anzueto-Calvo2Maritza F. Maza-Cruz3Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de ChiapasUniversidad de Ciencias y Artes de ChiapasUniversidad de Ciencias y Artes de ChiapasUniversidad de Ciencias y Artes de ChiapasThe family Profundulidae is one of the few families of freshwater fishes endemic to the Mesoamerican region, and one of the least speciose within the order Cyprinodontiformes, with only 13 valid species. Sexual dimorphism is poorly developed and sparsely studied in this family. Herein, we report the presence of spicule-like organs of contact in scales and fins (anal and dorsal) in fishes of the family Profundulidae and discuss the use of spicules as a means to facilitate the identification of male and female in this family. Data from museum specimens of the 13 species of profundulid fishes were analyzed. We studied the following species: Tlaloc labialis (Günther, 1866); Tlaloc candalarius (Hubbs, 1924); Tlaloc hildebrandi (Miller, 1950); Tlaloc portillorum (Matamoros et Schaefer, 2010); Profundulus punctatus (Günther, 1866); Profundulus guatemalensis (Günther, 1866); Profundulus oaxacae (Meek, 1902); Profundulus balsanus Ahl, 1935; Profundulus kreiseri Matamoros, Schaefer, Hernández et Chakrabarty, 2012; Profundulus parentiae Matamoros, Domínguez-Cisneros, Velázquez-Velázquez et McMahan, 2018; Profundulus mixtlanensis Ornelas-García, Martínez-Ramírez et Doadrio, 2015; Profundulus adani Dominguez-Cisneros, Velázquez-Velázquez, McMahan, et Matamoros, 2021; Profundulus chimalapensis Del Moral-Flores, López-Segovia et Hernández-Arellano, 2020. Scales were observed and photographed with a Hitachi VP-MEB SU1510 scanning electron microscope; the spicules in fins were observed from specimens cleared and double-stained. This study revealed the presence of 1–10 spicules on the surface of the scales in males and its absence in females of all species analyzed. Numerous, small and thin spicules were also observed and they were restricted to the middle rays of the anal and dorsal fins of the males. The observation of spicules in the anal fins for the sexual identification of profundulid fishes constitutes an advantage of operational simplicity, speed, and potential for its application in taxonomic and ecological studies.https://aiep.pensoft.net/article/93669/download/pdf/
spellingShingle Ernesto Velázquez-Velázquez
Sara E. Domínguez-Cisneros
Manuel de J. Anzueto-Calvo
Maritza F. Maza-Cruz
Occurrence of contact organs and sexual dimorphism in fishes of the family Profundulidae (Actinopterygii: Cyprinodontiformes)
Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria
title Occurrence of contact organs and sexual dimorphism in fishes of the family Profundulidae (Actinopterygii: Cyprinodontiformes)
title_full Occurrence of contact organs and sexual dimorphism in fishes of the family Profundulidae (Actinopterygii: Cyprinodontiformes)
title_fullStr Occurrence of contact organs and sexual dimorphism in fishes of the family Profundulidae (Actinopterygii: Cyprinodontiformes)
title_full_unstemmed Occurrence of contact organs and sexual dimorphism in fishes of the family Profundulidae (Actinopterygii: Cyprinodontiformes)
title_short Occurrence of contact organs and sexual dimorphism in fishes of the family Profundulidae (Actinopterygii: Cyprinodontiformes)
title_sort occurrence of contact organs and sexual dimorphism in fishes of the family profundulidae actinopterygii cyprinodontiformes
url https://aiep.pensoft.net/article/93669/download/pdf/
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