Publications by authors named "Joao Paulo Capretz Batista da Silva"

Members of the subfamily Heterocongrinae (Congridae) are a peculiar group of anguilliform eels that construct sandy borrows, form large colonies, and are popularly recognized as garden eels. They live with most of their bodies inside self-constructed borrows exposing their heads and trunk to feed on zooplankton, preferably copepods, that are brought passively by currents. As plankton feeders there was a suspicion that their branchial skeleton would have structures that could aid in the filtering process, such as highly developed or modified branchial rakers, which are observed in other suspension-feeding fishes, such as anchovies and sardines.

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Article Synopsis
  • The anatomy of Leptocharias smithii is under-researched, displaying unique features that indicate it may represent a transitional form within carcharhiniform sharks.
  • The study conducts a comprehensive analysis of Leptocharias's appendicular skeleton and compares its anatomical traits to other carcharhiniform species, revealing both unique and shared characteristics.
  • It highlights 20 new anatomical features of paired fins and girdles, contributing to the understanding of carcharhiniform evolution and supporting the classification of specific clades within this group.
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The type specimens of the subclass Elasmobranchii deposited in the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo are compiled in an annotated list, including updated measurements, verified collection data and recent photographs of holotypes and selected paratypes. Relevant information on the preservation condition of the specimens and their current taxonomic status are also provided. The collection holds a total of 135 lots of type specimens of elasmobranchs, three holotypes and seven paratypes in the division Selachii plus 16 holotypes, one neotype, and 108 paratypes in the division Batoidea (total specimen count: 137).

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Lamniform sharks are one of the more conspicuous groups of elasmobranchs, including several emblematic taxa as the white shark. Although their monophyly is well supported, the interrelationships of taxa within Lamniformes remains controversial because of the conflict among various previous molecular-based and morphology-based phylogenetic hypotheses. In this study, we use 31 characters related to the appendicular skeleton of lamniforms and demonstrate their ability to resolve the systematic interrelationships within this shark order.

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The morphology of the articular region of the pectoral girdle and associated basals in Etmopteridae is revised in light of new evidence provided by taxa unavailable for previous studies. Such studies considered that etmopterids plesiomorphically had a single pectoral articular condyle, and only Etmopterus had two separate ones. Our reanalysis indicates that the possession of two separate condyles, one for the articulation of the propterygium and the second for the meso- and metapterygium, is the most widespread condition in this group.

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The rays of the order Myliobatiformes present several diagnostic characters, the most striking one being the presence of a serrated sting on the dorsal region of the tail. Although several morphological hypotheses have been proposed supporting the monophyly and interrelationships of its members, few characters of the appendicular skeleton were employed. In the present study, we analyzed comparatively the pelvic girdle morphology across all the groups of rays to investigate the distribution of the ischial process.

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Article Synopsis
  • A new species of congrid eel, named Bathycongrus villosus, has been discovered in the Philippines and Vanuatu.
  • This species is compared to similar eels, particularly Bassanago albescens and Bathycongrus parviporus, based on 19 defining traits.
  • The analysis reveals that Bathycongrus villosus aligns closely with Bathycongrus parviporus in 16 traits and with Bassanago albescens in one, confirming its classification within the Bathycongrus genus.
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Potamotrygon marquesi, sp. nov., is described and compared with other species of Potamotrygon occurring in the Amazon Basin.

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