-. ; •>> V - ,-.• ;i ■■ a • ■ ' ■ 172 



■^,t- '' V ■- • >■ ' ' ■' i > I-'-- ■ V f -ik-^K- ^' 



has an incompletely ossified first pectoral-fin spine (33) and an emarginate caudal 

 fin (26), representing an intermediate condition between the plesiomorphic states 

 found in most species oiAgeneiosus and they4. brevifilis-A. mannoratus clade (node 



I). "^■:: 



A broadly inclusive lineage of species shares the uniquely derived 

 encapsulated swimbladder (24), with a correlated reduction of the Mullerian ramus , 

 of the fourth vertebra (23). This clade (node E) includes^l. ucayalemis,A. 

 valenciennesi,A. vittatus,A. n. sp., and the lineage defined in the preceding .-i; 



paragraph. All of these species also have modally greater than 9 branchiostegals 

 (35, state 2). Within the above clade relationships are inferred on the basis of the 

 following meristic characters. The taxa above node H in Fig. 35 all have modally 

 greater than 20 gill rakers (27), but the shape of the rakers themselves is different in 

 A. brevifilis and^l. mannoratus than in A. ucayalensis andA.pofystictus; the rakers 

 are short and conical in the former two species, but long and medially scalloped in 

 the latter two. A similarly high gill-raker count was apparently derived 

 independently iny4. brevis and in Auchenipterus nuchalis, both species of which have 

 extremely long, thin gill rakers. A clade of species that includes y4. valenciennesi and 

 those above node H all share the derived state of a mean number of total vertebrae 

 exceeding 50 (28); the next most inclusive clade includes this one andy4. n. sp. 

 (node F), the species of which all have a mean pectoral-fin ray count of 13 or more 

 (30, state 2). Ageneiosus vittatus is the sister species to the clade represented by 

 nodeF. 



Ageneiosus pardalis is phenetically similar to the species of the broadly 

 inclusive clade outlined above, excluding those above node I. HaweweT, A. pardalis 

 has a large, unencapsulated swimbladder. Ageneiosus pardalis is united with the 

 above lineage (node D) on the basis of a mean number of pectoral-fin rays of 11-12 

 (30, state 1), and having a modal rib count of 8 (31, state 1). Ageneiosus pardalis is 



■ :\ h' 



