Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) >
Siluriformes (Catfishes) >
Heptapteridae (Three-barbeled catfishes)
Etymology: Rhamdia: Brazilian vernacular name, Nhamdia/Jamdia (Ref. 45335); guasarensis: Named for Río Guasare, parent stream of the subterranean waters in which this endemic catfish species lives.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal. Tropical
South America: Venezuela.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 10.7 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 80467)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6; Anal soft rays: 12. This species differs from its congeners by having a concave dorsal head profile (vs. convex or straight); frontal bones broadly sutured to each other anterior to small, circular remnant foramen of anterior cranial fontanelle that is anteriorly adjacent to epiphyseal bar (vs. frontals separated by anterior fontanelle widely open from mesethmoid to epiphyseal bar). It differs from all epigean Rhamdia by the following troglomorphic characters: eyes absent, complete depigmentation, widened cutaneous pores of the cephalic laterosensory system, preoperculomandibular sensory canal forming wide fossae in the dentary and preopercle (vs. narrow pores and canals). Further, this species can be distinguished from other Rhamdia species by the following set of characters: pectoral fins with a spine and ten branched rays (vs. modally eight or nine soft rays in other species); both lobes of the caudal fin pointed (vs. at least one lobe rounded); caudal skeleton with three hypural plates, PH; 1 + 2; 3 + 4 + 5 (vs. Modally four PH; 1 + 2; 3 + 4; 5 in the other species, except R. laukidi and R. jequitinhonha) (Ref. 80467).
The cave where the fish was collected is near the margin of Río Guasare and is the source of a spring during seasonal rains; its lower conduit has a 280 m course, 2-3 m wide and 1-2 m high, narrowly communicating with the access gallery. The underground river is permanently fed by a spring about 60 m into the lower gallery. At the time the collection was made, the average depth of the water course was 1.5 m with deeper pools along its course where the catfishes were observed (Ref. 80467).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
DoNascimiento, C., F. Provenzano and J.G. Lundberg, 2004. Rhamdia guasarensis (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae) a new species of cave catfish from the Sierra de Perija´, northwestern Venezuela. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 117(4):564-574. (Ref. 80467)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00794 (0.00374 - 0.01688), b=2.97 (2.79 - 3.15), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
