Aphanotorulus ammophilus Armbruster and Page 1996
Creators: name: Ray, C. Keith
name: Armbruster, Jonathan W.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Siluriformes
Loricariidae
Aphanotorulus
Aphanotorulus ammophilus

description: Aphanotorulus ammophilus (Armbruster and Page 1996)
(Fig. 4)
Aphanotorulus ammophilus Armbruster & Page, 1996: 385, fig. 2 (middle). Type locality: Venezuela, Estado Cojedes, Río San Carlos, R. Portuguesa drainage at Caño Hondo, 2 km west of Las Vegas on the road from Las Vegas to Campo Allegre – 9º31'51"N, 68º39'39"W. Holotype: INHS 32035, 86.0 mm SL.
Material examined. See Armbruster and Page (1996) and Armbruster (1998).
Diagnosis. Aphanotorulus ammophilus differs from all congeners, except A. unicolor, by its numerous buccal papillae (Fig. 5). Aphanotorulus ammophilus differs from A. unicolor by the presence of ridges on the compound pterotics on the head (vs. ridges absent in A. unicolor); in having a pectoral fin that, when depressed, reaches well past insertion of last pelvic-fin ray (vs. pectoral fin extending at most to insertion of last pelvic-fin ray in A. unicolor). See diagnosis of A. unicolor below for further diagnostic features for specimens greater than 75mm SL.
Description. Morphometric data given in Table 2. Head slightly compressed with raised supraoccipital crest; crest ending abruptly with posterior edge perpendicular to head. Sharp ridge present on compound pterotics. Large flap covering posterior opening of nare. Interorbital surface flat. Nape increasing in height posteriorly to dorsal fin.
Dorsal-fin spine slightly longer than or equal in length to first dorsal-fin ray. Pectoral-fin spine reaches past point of insertion on pelvic fin. Pelvic fin spine reaches insertion of anal fin. Adipose-fin membrane extending to end of fourth adipose base plate (two plates separate adipose-fin membrane and first dorsal procurrent caudal-fin spine).
Lateral line plates 28–30 (mode 29; n= 93); dorsal-fin base plates six to 10 (mode seven; n= 93); folded dorsal plates 10–14 (mode 13; n= 90); plates between dorsal and adipose fins seven to 10 (mode eight; n= 93); adipose-fin plates three to four (mode three; n= 92); anal-fin base plates two to three (mode two; n= 93); plates from anal-fin insertion to last plate on caudal peduncle 13–16 (mode= 14; n= 93); plates in folded pectoral fin five to seven (mode six; n= 93); number of teeth on dentary 9–20 (mode= 14; n= 92); number of teeth on premaxilla 10–18 (mode= 14; n= 92).
Sexual Dimorphism. Breeding males with elongated odontodes on dorsal and lateral surfaces of body posterior to insertion of dorsal fin, increasing in length and density posteriorly. Odontodes also present on pectoralfin spines and caudal-fin spines.
Color in alcohol. Light tan to almost white background. Ventral surface almost white. Dorsal and lateral surfaces with dark, round spots. Spots small to medium in size. Spots form longitudinal rows in some specimens, more random in others. Spots on caudal fin align to create vertical bars when fin is compressed. On dorsal fin, two rows of spots lie between each fin ray. Juveniles with four brown saddles, a brown midlateral stripe, and a mottled head.
Distribution. Río Orinoco drainage in Venezuela, mainly from the Río Apure system (Fig. 6).
description: Published as part of Ray, C. Keith & Armbruster, Jonathan W., 2016, The genera Isorineloricaria and Aphanotorulus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) with description of a new species, pp. 501-539 in Zootaxa 4072 (5) on pages 508-512, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4072.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/263020