Deploy the proboscis!: Functional morphology and kinematics of a novel form of extreme jaw protrusion in the hingemouth, Phractolaemus ansorgii (Gonorynchiformes).

Premaxillary protrusion and the performance advantages it confers are implicated in the success of diverse lineages of teleost fishes, such as Cypriniformes and Acanthomorpha. Although premaxillary protrusion has evolved independently at least five times within bony fishes, much of the functional work investigating this kinesis relates to mechanisms found only in these two clades. Few studies have characterized feeding mechanisms in less-diverse premaxilla-protruding lineages and fewer yet have investigated the distinctive anatomy underlying jaw kinesis in these lineages.

A new distinctively striped species of bushynose catfish (Siluriformes: Loricariidae: Ancistrus) from the Pachitea River drainage, Pasco, Peru.

With 76 currently valid species, the bushynose catfish genus Ancistrus is the fourth most species-rich catfish genus, yet Ancistrus diversity remains underestimated, with many species still undescribed. This is especially true of the Peruvian Andean headwaters of the Amazon, which are rich in unnamed Ancistrus species but have received little recent taxonomic attention. We describe a distinctively striped new Ancistrus species from tributaries of the Palcazú River, in the Pachitea-Ucayali-Amazonas drainage basin.

Abiotic and biotic factors influencing heavy metals pollution in fisheries of the Western Amazon.

The escalating industrial and artisanal extraction of natural resources in the Amazon Basin has centered it into the spotlight of global environmental concern. This study deals with the environmental problems of heavy metals pollution and biomagnification, which stem from mining, agricultural, petrochemical, and industrial discharges. We conducted an extensive investigation, analyzing 360 fish specimens representing 58 species, to assess the concentrations of 11 metals (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, He, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Hg) along the Ecuadorian sections of the Napo and Pastaza watersheds.

Ichthyoplankton metabarcoding: An efficient tool for early detection of invasive species establishment.

Detection of invasive species is critical for management but is often limited by challenges associated with capture, processing and identification of early life stages. DNA metabarcoding facilitates large-scale monitoring projects to detect establishment early. Here, we test the use of DNA metabarcoding to monitor invasive species by sequencing over 5000 fishes in bulk ichthyoplankton samples (larvae and eggs) from four rivers of ecological and cultural importance in southern Canada.

Osteology-focused redescription and description of the blood-feeding candirus Paracanthopoma parva and Paravandellia alleynei sp.n. (Trichomycteridae: Vandelliinae).

This study resolves a significant impediment to the taxonomy of the Neotropical endemic hematophagous candirus by providing the first high-resolution, CT-based osteological descriptions of type and nontype specimens of Paracanthopoma parva, type species of the genus. We also describe the distinctive new species Paravandellia alleynei based on specimens that were previously misidentified as Parac. parva in the only taxonomic study of that species since its 1935 description.