Disentangling the Diversity of the Labeobarbus Taxa(Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from the Epulu Basin (DR Congo, Africa)
Discipline
Biological sciences
Subject
Vertebrates
Audience
Scientific
Date
2022Publisher
MDPI
Metadata
Show full item recordDescription
In an attempt to disentangle the complex taxonomy of the Labeobarbus species of the Epulu River, a right bank headwater affluent of the Aruwimi, Central Congo basin, a morphological study was undertaken on 221 specimens from the Epulu and 32 type specimens. As a result, five different species have been distinguished, including four so-called rubberlips, L. caudovittatus, L. macroceps, L. mawambiensis, and L. sp. thick lip , and one chiselmouth, L. longidorsalis. While rubberlips have a curved mouth with well-developed lips and often a mental lobe, chiselmouths have a straight mouth with a keratinised cutting edge on the lower jaw. Among the specimens examined, several presented an intermediate mouth morphology between L. mawambiensis and L. longidorsalis, either with one or two pairs of barbels. One specimen exhibited an intermediate morphology between L. mawambiensis and L. macroceps. This morphological study, complemented with a molecular study of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b (cyt b), suggests that these intermediates are probably hybrid specimens. The Epulu case is reminiscent to a case of possible hybridisation recently discovered in the Inkisi River (Lower Congo basin), but differs in having a lower relative abundance of hybrid specimens in the population, and in phylogenetic patterns.
Citation
Decru, E.; Snoeks, J.; Walanga, A.; Vreven, E.J.W (2022). Disentangling the Diversity of the Labeobarbus Taxa(Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from the Epulu Basin (DR Congo, Africa). , Diversity, Vol. 14(12); Biodiversity and Biogeography of Freshwater Fish, MDPI,Identifiers
Type
Article
Peer-Review
Yes
Language
eng