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Diagnosis of Asian Raiamas (Teleostei: Cyprinidae: Chedrina) with comments on chedrin relationships and previously proposed diagnostic characters for Opsaridium and Raiamas

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Abstract

As currently recognized, Raiamas is the sole chedrin genus with a transoceanic distribution. While a previous morphological study suggested that Asian Raiamas are morphologically differentiated from their African congeners, a single transoceanic genus was retained. Among the characters previously proposed, only the plesiomorphic presence of maxillary barbels in Asian Raiamas serves to distinguish them from their African congeners. Here we provide five novel apomorphies that do diagnose Asian Raiamas as phylogenetically distinct from the African species. Molecular data corroborate the non-monophyly of Raiamas, indicating that the Asian species, Raiamas bola and Raiamas guttatus, form a clade that is sister to either the entire African chedrin assemblage or to the genus Opsarius. African Raiamas are not monophyletic and are instead arrayed in three groups. Review of previously proposed synapomorphies for Opsaridium and Raiamas suggests that none can be considered diagnostic for these two genera, and our study underscores the need for a comprehensive review of the generic composition and intrarelationships among the poorly studied African chedrins.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Ulrich Schliewen (ZSM), Frans Witte (Institute of Biology Leiden), Ad Konings (Cichlid Press), Roger Bills (SAIAB), Sven Kullander (NHM), and Richard Mayden and Kevin Tang (CTOL project, Saint Louis University) for providing tissues for molecular analyses; Sven Kullander, Bodil Kajrup (NRM), James Maclaine (BMNH), Barbara Brown and Radford Arindell (AMNH) for help with collections and sending specimens under their care. This study is supported by the Herbert and Evelyn Axelrod Curatorship, and much of the African material was collected with support from the US National Science Foundation (DEB 0542540).

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  1. Te Yu Liao

    Present address: Institute of Marine Biology, National Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 70, Lienhai Rd., Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan, ROC

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ichthyology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY, 10024-5192, USA

    Te Yu Liao, Jairo Arroyave & Melanie L. J. Stiassny

  2. Department of Biology, The Graduate School and University Center, The City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Jairo Arroyave

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  1. Te Yu Liao
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Correspondence to Melanie L. J. Stiassny.

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Liao, T.Y., Arroyave, J. & Stiassny, M.L.J. Diagnosis of Asian Raiamas (Teleostei: Cyprinidae: Chedrina) with comments on chedrin relationships and previously proposed diagnostic characters for Opsaridium and Raiamas . Ichthyol Res 59, 328–341 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-012-0296-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-012-0296-9

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