Description of Andinoacara stalsbergi sp. n. (Teleostei: Cichlidae: Cichlasomatini) from Pacific coastal rivers in Peru, and annotations on the phylogeny of the genus
Abstract
Andinoacara stalsbergi sp. n. is described from the drainages of trans-andean rivers and lakes at the Peruvian Pacific coast where this species occurs between Río Chira (Depto. Piura) in the north and Río Pisco (Depto.
Ica) in the south. It is distinguished from its sister species A. rivulatus by the possession of a conspicuous white margin of both the dorsal and caudal fi n and scales with light centres and contrasting dark marginal lines forming a fi ne reticulate pattern on the body sides.
Studies based on molecular data confi rm the status of Andinoacara stalsbergi sp. n. and reveal its phylogenetic relationships to its congeners. The reconstruction of the phylogeny within the genus Andinoacara results in the existence of two clades: one with A. stalsbergi sp. n., A. rivulatus, A. sapayensis and A. biseriatus and another with the remaining species.