Eight New Species of Poechiliid Fishes of the Genus Limia from Hispaniola

Pending revision of the genus, eight new species of Lim/a are described to make the names available. The genus Is divided into two subgenera, one of which, Odontollmla, is proposed as new. The two subgenera are characterized and the number ot species In Odonto1/m/a Is six and in Lim/a 13. Pending a revision of the genus Umia, eight new species are herein described to make the names available to other workers. In the last revision of the family Poeciliidae (Rosen and Bailey, 1963) Limia was synonymized with Poecilia but retained as a valid subgenus. Recently, however, I discussed the status of Limia and reinstated it as a valid genus (Rivas, 1978). In that study I also indicated that I was preparing a revision of the genus Limia and that four new species would be described. Further study and additional material recently acquired have now increased the number of new species to eight. Because each of these must be distinguished from others in the genus, the status of each of the nominal species is discussed in the next paragraph. Based on my examination of types of all the species previously described and pending completion of my revision, the taxonomic status of the nominal species of Limia as interpreted by me, is as follows. As listed by Rosen and Bailey (1963), L. vittata, L. perugiae, L. melanonotata, L. nigrofasciata, L. ornata, L. melanogaster, L. dominicensis, L. zonata, and L. versicolor stand as valid species. 1 Contribution number 8D-02M, Southeast Fisheries Center, Miami Laboratory. 28 However, L. caudofasciata is a synonym of L. melanogaster, L. nicholsi is a synonym of L. zonata, and L. tridens is a valid species, not a synonym of L. versicolor. Original references to all these nominal species were given by Rosen and Bailey and, therefore, will not be repeated here. The status of L. caymanensis, subsequently described by Rivas and Fink (1970) remains unchanged and this species stands as valid. The holotypes and para types have been deposited in the National Museum of Natural History (USNM) and/or in the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ). Para types of some of the new species also have been deposited in the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (UMMZ), the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), and the Florida State Museum (FSM). Measurements and counts were made according to the methods recently described by me (Rivas, 1978). In the diagnoses the meristic characters for the holotype are given first, followed in parentheses by those of the male and female paratypes combined. There is no sexual dimorphism in meristic characters. The number of anal and pelvic rays is always 9 and 6, respectively, in Umia, and 1 Rivas: Eight New Species of Poechiliid Fishes of the Genus Limia from Hi Published by The Aquila Digital Community, 1980 the number of scales around the caudal peduncle is always 16. These characters, therefore, are not given in the diagnoses. The adverb "usually", when preceding the range of variation of a character, indicates that 70 percent or more of the specimens are within that range. Omission of the adverb indicates that all the specimens are within the given range. The combination of its meristic characters is sufficient to distinguish any given species of Limia from all the others in a subgenus. The descriptions, therefore, consist mostly of these characters combined with a fewotherdiagnosticfeatures of the dentition, body shape, relative position of fins, and color pattern. The 19 known species of Limia form two distinct groups that may be interpreted as subgenera. The first, herein named Odonto/imia (in reference to the large conical teeth) is designated as a new subgenus and Limia grossidens, new species as the type species. The second group constitutes the subgenus Limia Poey and L. vittata (Guichenot) is designated the type species. These two subgenera are diagnosed below. Odcmto/imia n. subgenus Preopercular pores 8 or 9, or the preopercular canal forming an open groove. Teeth of outer row, in both jaws, conical or incisorlike, fewer than 25 in upper jaw and fewer than 30 in lower jaw. Teeth of inner row, in both jaws, unicuspid, irregularly uniserial, not forming a patch on each side of symphysis. Rami of both jaws firmly united at symphysis.