Editorial Type:
Article Category: Research Article
 | 
Online Publication Date: 20 May 2010

A New Species of Rainbowfish (Teleostei: Melanotaenioidei: Bedotiidae) from the Makira Region of Northeastern Madagascar

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Page Range: 284 – 291
DOI: 10.1643/CI-09-187
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Abstract

Bedotia alveyi, a new species of Malagasy rainbowfish, is described from the lower reaches of the Antainambalana and Vohimaro rivers and their tributaries near the village of Maroansetra in the Makira Forest Protected Area, northeastern Madagascar. The new species is distinguished from congeners by the presence of a distinctive crescent-shaped to semicircular spangle on the posterior half of many opercular and flank scales, which creates iridescent golden (occasionally whitish to bluish) highlights. Additional unique pigmentation pattern features include a dark midlateral stripe interrupted by sparse lateral blotching and rust-red caudal-fin lobes. Bedotia alveyi is one of several new species that were collected during a brief expedition into the Makira Forest region in 2003. The Makira Forest was designated a Malagasy protected area in December of 2005.

Copyright: 2010 by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
Fig. 1
Fig. 1

Map of northeastern Madagascar, illustrating the collection localities of Bedotia alveyi (circles), the town of Maroansetra (star), and the extent of the Makira Forest Protected Area (area of dark gray shading along the Antainambalana and Vohimaro rivers).

Fig. 2
Fig. 2

Bedotia alveyi, new species, holotype, AMNH 249487, 84.9 mm SL (top) and, paratype, FMNH 118296, 67.7 mm SL (bottom).

Fig. 3
Fig. 3

Images of freshly collected Bedotia alveyi from (A) AMNH 240829 and (B) AMNH 240830 and the type locality for AMNH 240830 and FMNH 118295 (C), a medium-sized tributary of the Vohimaro River.

Fig. 4
Fig. 4

Species-level phylogeny for Bedotia based on the simultaneous analysis of eight mitochondrial and nuclear genes (after Sparks and Smith, 2004). Letters at nodes follow Sparks and Smith (2004) and refer to clades discussed in the text. Asterisks indicate species or undescribed populations that have marked lateral spotting.

Contributor Notes

Associate Editor: S. A. Schaefer.

1 The Field Museum, Department of Zoology (Fishes), 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60605, E-mail: (CCJ) cjones2@fieldmuseum.org, and (WLS) lsmith@fieldmuseum.org.
2 American Museum of Natural History, Department of Ichthyology, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024, E-mail: jsparks@amnh.org. Send reprint requests to this address.
Received: 13 Oct 2009
Accepted: 21 Jan 2010
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