Name: MARIDIESSE MORAIS LOPES
Type: PhD thesis
Publication date: 04/03/2020
Advisor:

Name	Role
Luisa Maria Sarmento Soares Filho	Advisor *
Luiz Fernando Duboc da Silva	Co-advisor *

Examining board:

Name	Role
Agnaldo Silva Martins	Internal Examiner *
Albert David Ditchfield	Internal Examiner *
Alexandre Pires Aguiar	Internal Alternate *
Francisco Langeani Neto	External Examiner *
Leonardo Ferreira da Silva Ingenito	External Alternate *
Luisa Maria Sarmento Soares Filho	Advisor *
Luiz Fernando Duboc da Silva	Co advisor *
Thaís de Assis Volpi	External Examiner *

Summary: ABSTRACT
Among the Neotropical catfishes of order Siluriformes, the Heptapteridae family corresponds
to a monophyletic group sustained by five synapomorphies. Just over half of the genera
recognized under the Heptapteridae are grouped in a monophyletic assemblage sustained by
sixteen synapomorphies, called the Nemuroglanis clade. Among them, the genus Imparfinis,
erected by Eigenmann & Norris (1900), based on I. piperatus, type species by monotype, for
the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. After two centuries of generic description, most of
the characters used for its recognition correspond to an imprecise combination. Thus, the
taxonomy of species remained confused during this time. Imparfinis has been treated in the
taxonomic literature with twenty valid names. However, it is recognized as monophyletic with
twelve species, a group here called Imparfinis sensu stricto. The aim of this study was to
make a taxonomic review of Imparfinis sensu stricto, using external morphological and
osteological data. Imparfinis was re-diagnosed and seven species were removed from the
genus, as they do not have the set of diagnostic characters, comprise five potentially new
genera, one synonym is proposed and three potentially new species are added to the group. In
addition, comments on the species' geographic distribution patterns and an identification key
are available.
Key words: Systematics; Neotropical Region; Freshwater Fishes.

Access to document