Skip to main content

The first fossil from the superdiverse clade Loricariinae (Siluriformes, Loricariidae): a new species of the Armored Catfish from the late Miocene of Paraná, Argentina

PalZ volume 96, pages 259–266 (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

Armored catfishes of the subfamily Loricariinae include more than 250 species and 31 genera distributed along South America from Costa Rica to Buenos Aires province in central Argentina. In spite of that, the entire clade lacks a single paleontological record. In this work, a new species of Loricariinae belonging to the genus Sturisomatichthys from late Miocene Ituzaingó beds at Paraná locality, Entre Ríos province, Argentina, is described. The holotype and only known specimen consists on a partially preserved body, with features that allow the recognition of a new species. The new taxon fits previous hypotheses, indicating that the Miocene fish faunas from paleo-Paraná basin were close to those of northern South America.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price includes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

  • Aceñolaza, F.G. 2000. La Formación Paraná (Mioceno medio): Estratigrafía, distribución regional y unidades equivalentes. El Neógeno De Argentina: Serie Correlación Geológica 14: 9–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Agnolin, F.L., and S. Bogan. 2020. Goliath catfish Brachyplatystoma Bleeker, 1862 (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae) from the Miocene of Argentina. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 100: 102551.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ameghino, F. 1889. Contribución al conocimiento de los mamíferos fósiles de la República Argentina. Actas De La Academia Nacional De Ciencias De Córdoba 6: 1–1028.

    Google Scholar 

  • Armbruster, J.W. 2004. Phylogenetic relationships of the suckmouth armoured catfishes (Loricariidae) with emphasis on the Hypostominae and the Ancistrinae. Zoological Journal of Linnean Society 141: 1–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azpelicueta, M.M., and A.L. Cione. 2016. A southern species of the tropical catfish genus Phractocephalus (Teleostei: Siluriformes) in the Miocene of South America. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 67: 221–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogan, S., and F.L. Agnolin. 2019a. Armored catfish (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the Miocene of southern Pampas and its palaeobiogeographical implications. Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 138: 325–330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogan, S., and F.L. Agnolin. 2019b. Phractocephaline catfishes from the late Miocene of Argentina, with the description of a new taxon. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 39: e1676254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogan, S., and F.L. Agnolin. 2020. First fossil of the Giant Armored Catfish Acanthicus (Siluriformes, Loricariidae) from the Late Miocene of Entre Ríos Province, Argentina. Zootaxa 4808 (3): 571–581.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogan, S., and F.L. Agnolin. 2021. First fossil record of the catfish genus Sorubim (Siluriformes, Pimelodidae), from the Late Miocene of Paraná. Northeastern Argentina. Annales De Paléontologie 107 (1): 102445.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogan, S., B. Sidlauskas, R.P. Vari, and F. Agnolin. 2012. Arrhinolemur scalabrinii Ameghino, 1898, of the late Miocene: A taxonomic journey from the Mammalia to the Anostomidae (Ostariophysi: Characiformes). Neotropical Ichthyology 10: 555–560.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brandoni, D. 2013. Los mamíferos continentales del “Mesopotamiense” (Mioceno Tardío) de Entre Ríos, Argentina. Diversidad, edad y paleobiogeografía. In El Neógeno de la Mesopotamia argentina, Publicación Especial 14, ed. D. Brandoni and J.I. Noriega, 179–191. Asociación Paleontológica Argentina: Buenos Aires.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bravard, A. 1858. Monografía de los terrenos terciarios del Paraná. (Reimpresión 1995 facsimilar con prólogo de F.G. Aceñolaza). Buenos Aires: Imprenta del Congreso de la Nación.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brunetto, E., J.I. Noriega, and D. Brandoni. 2013. Sedimentología, Estratigrafía y edad de la Formación Ituzaingó en la Provincia de Entre Ríos, Argentina. Publicación Especial De La Asociacion Paleontologica Argentina 14: 13–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carrillo-Briceño, J.D., R. Sánchez, T.M. Scheyer, J.D. Carrillo, M. Delfino, G.L. Georgalis, L. Kerber, D. Ruiz-Raimoni, J.L.O. Birindeli, E.-A. Cadena, A. Rincón, M. Chavez-Hoffmeister, A.A. Carlini, M. Carvalho, R. Trejos-Tamayo, F. Vallejo, C. Jamarillo, D.S. Jones, and M.R. Sánchez-Villagra. 2021. A Pliocene–Pleistocene continental biota from Venezuela. Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 140 (1): 1–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cione, A.L., M.M. Azpelicueta, M. Bond, A.A. Carlini, J.R. Casciotta, M.A. Cozzuol, M. de la Fuente, Z. Gasparini, F.J. Goin, J. Noriega, G.J. Scillato-Yané, L. Soibelzon, E.P. Tonni, D. Verzi, and M.G. Vucetich. 2000. Miocene vertebrates from Entre Ríos province, eastern Argentina. El Neógeno De Argentina: Serie Correlación Geológica 14: 191–237.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cione, A.L., M.M. Azpelicueta, J. Casciotta, and M.T. Dozo. 2005. Tropical freshwater teleosts from Miocene beds of eastern Patagonia, southern Argentina. Geobios 38: 29–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cione, A.L., W.M. Dahdul, J.G. Lundberg, and A. Machado-Allison. 2009. Megapiranha paranensis, a new genus and species of Serrasalmidae (Characiformes, Teleostei) from the upper Miocene of Argentina. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 29: 350–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Covain, R., and S. Fisch-Muller. 2007. The genera of the Neotropical armored catfish subfamily Loricariinae (Siluriformes: Loricariidae): a practical key and synopsis. Zootaxa 1462 (1): 1–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Covain, R., S. Dray, S. Fisch-Muller, and J.I. Montoya-Burgos. 2008. Assessing phylogenetic dependence of morphological traits using co-inertia prior to investigate character evolution in Loricariinae catfishes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 46 (3): 986–1002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Covain, R., S. Fisch-Muller, C. Oliveira, J.H. Mol, J.I. Montoya-Burgos, and S. Dray. 2016. Molecular phylogeny of the highly diversified catfish subfamily Loricariinae (Siluriformes, Loricariidae) reveals incongruences with morphological classification. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 94: 492–517.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fowler, H.W. 1958. Some new taxonomic names of fishlike vertebrates. Notulae Naturae (philadelphia) 310: 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fricke, R., Eschmeyer, W.N., and Van der Laan, R. 2021. Eschmeyer's catalog of fishes: genera, species, references. http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp. Accessed 13 Apr 2021.

  • Ghazzi, M.S.A. 2005. Sturisoma kneri, new species, a name for an old yet poorly-known catfish (Siluriformes: Loricariidae). Copeia 2005 (3): 559–565.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gill, T.N. 1872. Arrangement of the families of fishes, or classes Pisces, Marsipobranchii, and Leptocardii. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collection 247: 1–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hay, O.P. 1929. Second bibliography and catalogue of the fossil Vertebrata of North America. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication 390: 1–2003.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isbrücker, I.J.H., and H. Nijssen. 1979. Description préliminaire de nouveaux taxa de la famille des Loricariidae, poissons-chats cuirassesnéo tropicaux, avec un catalogue critique de la sousfamille nominale (Pisces, Siluriformes). Revue Française D′ Aquariologie Et Herpetologie 5: 86–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isbrücker, I.J.H., H.A. Britski, H. Nijssen, and H. Ortega. 1983. Aposturisoma myriodon, une espèce et un genre nouveaux de Poisson-Chat cuirassé, tribu Farlowellini Fowler, 1958 du Bassin du Río Ucayali, Pérou (Pisces, Siluriformes, Loricariidae). Revue Française D’aquariologie Et Herpétologie 10: 33–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Londoño-Burbano, A., and R.E. Reis. 2016. Taxonomic revision and phylogenetic relationships of Dasyloricaria Isbrücker & Nijssen, 1979 (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), with description of a new species. Neotropical Ichthyology 14 (1): e150120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Londoño-Burbano, A., and R.E. Reis. 2019. A taxonomic revision of Sturisomatichthys Isbrucker and Nijssen, 1979 (Loricariidae: Loricariinae), with descriptions of three new species. Copeia 107 (4): 764–806.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Londoño-Burbano, A., and R.E. Reis. 2021. A combined molecular and morphological phylogeny of the Loricariinae (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), with emphasis on the Harttiini and Farlowellini. PLoS ONE 16 (3): e0247747.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lujan, N.K., and C. Chamon. 2008. Two new species of Loricariidae (Teleostei: Siluriformes) from main channels of the upper and middle Amazon Basin, with discussion of deep water specialization in loricariids. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 19: 271–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lujan, N.K., J.W. Armbruster, and N.R. Lovejoy. 2018. Multilocus phylogeny, diagnosis and generic revision of the Guiana Shield endemic suckermouth armoured catfish tribe Lithoxini (Loricariidae: Hypostominae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 184 (4): 1169–1186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundberg, J.G. 1997. Fishes of the La Venta fauna: Additional taxa, biotic and paleoenvironmental implications. In Vertebrate Paleontology in the Neotropics: The Miocene Fauna of la Venta Colombia, ed. R.F. Kay, R.H. Madden, R.L. Cifelli, and J.J. Flynn, 67–91. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundberg, J.G., M. Kottelat, G.R. Smith, M.L.J. Stiassny, and A.C. Gill. 2000. So many fishes, so little time: An overview of recent ichthyological discovery in continental waters. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 87: 26–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malabarba, M.C., and J.G. Lundberg. 2007. A fossil loricariid catfish (Siluriformes: Loricarioidea) from the Taubaté Basin, eastern Brazil. Neotropical Ichthyology 5: 263–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, L., Hoffstetter, R., and Pascual, R.1983. Mammals and stratigraphy: geochronology of the continental mammal-bearing Tertiary of South America. Palaeovertebrata Mémoire Extraordinaire, pp 1–93.

  • Montoya-Burgos, J.I., S. Muller, C. Weber, and J. Pawlowski. 1998. Phylogenetic relationships of the Loricariidae (Siluriformes) based on mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences. Phylogeny and Classification of Neotropical Fishes 27: 363–374.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paixão, A.D.C., and M. Toledo-Piza. 2009. Systematics of Lamontichthys Miranda-Ribeiro (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), with the description of two new species. Neotropical Ichthyology 7 (4): 519–568.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Podgorny, I. 2021a. Los argentinos vienen de los peces. Ensayo de Filogenia Nacional. Rosario: Editorial Beatriz Viterbo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Podgorny, I. 2021b. Florentino Ameghino & Hnos. Empresa argentina de paleontología ilimitada. Buenos Aires: Editorial Edhasa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Py-Daniel, L.H.R. 1997. Phylogeny of the Neotropical armored catfishes of the subfamilly Loricariinae (Siluriformes: Loricariidae). Unpublished Ph. D. Thesis, University of Arizona, Tucson.

  • Rafinesque, C.S. 1815. Analyse de la Nature, ou Tableau de l’Univers et des Corps Organisés. Palerme: Aux dépens de l’auteur.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reis, R.E., E.H.L. Pereira, and J.W. Armbruster. 2006. Delturinae, a new loricariid catfish subfamily (Teleostei: Siluriformes), with revisions of Delturus and Hemipsilichthys. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 147: 277–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roxo, F.F., L.E. Ochoa, M.H. Sabaj Pérez, N.K. Lujan, R. Covain, G.S. Silva, B.F. Melo, J.S. Albert, J. Chang, F. Foresti, M.E. Alfaro, and C. Oliveira. 2019. Phylogenomic reappraisal of the Neotropical catfish family Loricariidae (Teleostei: Siluriformes) using ultraconserved elements. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 135: 148–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer, S.A. 1997. The Neotropical cascudinhos: Systematicsand biogeography of the Otocinclus catfishes (Siluriformes: Loricariidae). Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 148: 1–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer, S.A., and G.V. Lauder. 1986. Historical transformation of functional design: Evolutionary morphology of feeding mechanisms in loricarioid catfishes. Systematic Zoology 35 (4): 489–508.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, M.R., and L.H.R. Py-Daniel. 2008. Three new species of the armored catfish genus Loricaria (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from river channels of the Amazon basin. Neotropical Ichthyology 6 (3): 379–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to A. Giacchino (Fundación de Historia Natural “Félix de Azara”-Universidad Maimónides) for his support during the confection of present contribution. Deep thanks to M.D. Ezcurra, L. Chornogubsky, and AG. Martinelli (MACN) for their help during the revision of the paleontological collections. We also thank Javier Pazo (FHNFA-UMAI) for his help in the preparation of fossil specimen here described. Special thanks to an anonymous reviewer and L. Rapp Py-Daniel, and the Editors J. Kriwet and M. Reich for their useful comments that enhanced the quality of the MS.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fundación de Historia Natural Félix de Azara, Centro de Ciencias Naturales, Ambientales y Antropológicas, Universidad Maimónides, Hidalgo 775 piso 7 (1405BDB), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Sergio Bogan & Federico L. Agnolin

  2. Laboratorio de Anatomía Comparada y Evolución de los Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Av. Ángel Gallardo 470 (1405), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Federico L. Agnolin

  3. CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Federico L. Agnolin

Authors
  1. Sergio Bogan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Federico L. Agnolin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sergio Bogan.

Additional information

Handling Editor: Mike Reich.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bogan, S., Agnolin, F.L. The first fossil from the superdiverse clade Loricariinae (Siluriformes, Loricariidae): a new species of the Armored Catfish from the late Miocene of Paraná, Argentina. PalZ 96, 259–266 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-022-00613-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-022-00613-x

Keywords

  • Fossil fishes
  • Loricariinae
  • Farlowellini
  • Entre Ríos
  • Neogene