Tatia bockmanni (Sarmento-Soares & Buckup, 2005)

Family:  Auchenipteridae (Driftwood catfishes), subfamily: Centromochlinae
Max. size:  4.8 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; freshwater; depth range 0 - 2 m
Distribution:  South America: Brazil.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 1-1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 5-5. Diagnosis: This species is distinguished from its congeners by the autapomorphic reduced ossified suprapreopercular canal. In auchenipterids the suprapreopercle is a short canal bone lying above the preopercle and containing the dorsal end of the opercular lateral line canal, which passes through it and enters the pterotic; and among centromochlines, this canal bone may vary. In some forms (as in Centromochlus perugiae, C. heckelii, and C. existimatus, a suprapreopercular ossification is absent, but in most forms it is present as a tube, completing the space between preopercle and the pterotic. In G. bockmanni, the suprapreopercle is not represented as a tube. This small canal bone is an incompletely ossified tube between the preopercle and the pterotic, with the bony portion located close to the preopercle. A fully ossified suprapreopercle was not detected in G. bockmanni. Glanidium bockmanni further differs from its congeners (albescens, ribeiroi, catharinensis, melanopterum, and leapardus in having a small adult size 29-48 mm SL (vs. 70-195 mm SL); lower jaw of equal size (vs. slightly prognathous); first nuchal plate absent (vs. present); low number of vertebrae 32 (vs. 3440); anal fin with 7 branched rays (vs. 8-11); and a less voluminous muscle adductor mandibulae A2 associated with a discrete concavity between sphenotic and pterotic (vs. thickened A2 associated with a quite pronounced concavity). It very closely resembles G. cesarpintoi , but can be distinguished from it due to larger post-cleithral process (20% SL vs. 16% SL); shorter mesethmoid (15% HL vs. 25% HL); adipose fin present (vs. absent); and pectoral-fin spine with antrorse spinules on anterior margin (vs. retrorse in cesarpintoi) (Ref. 56311).
Biology:  The single specimen was captured in an area with gravel and rocky bottom, near the margin of the river (F. Bockmann, pers. comm.). The fishes from Bahia were captured by seine at night in a riverine beach in clear, shallow water with sand and gravel bottom in depth less than 1.70 m. Stomach contents of two specimens were partially digested fragments of insect larvae and nymphs (Ref. 56311).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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