Cynolebias attenuatus Costa, 2001
Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae: Cynolebiatinae
‘Catalog of Fishes’ synonyms
Generic name ‘Cynolebias’ derives from the Greek words ‘kyon’ = dog and ‘odous’ = teeth and ‘lebias’ = a kind of small fish; the specific epithet ‘attenuatus’ means attenuated, an allusion to the short fins and slender body in adult males; an adjective. The gender is masculine.
male, max. SL 105.3 mm (MZUSP 62566, holotype); female max. SL 70.8 mm (MZUSP 62567, paratype, Costa 2001)
Similar to C. gibbus Costa, 2001; body depth 25.6-29.6% SL, caudal peduncle depth 12.5-14.4% SL, head depth 23.4-28.6% SL, pectoral fin length 20.2-22.6% SL, anal fin base length 26.7-29.9% SL in males (Costa, 2001).
Figure 1. Cynolebias attenuatus; young male, lateral view, immediately after catch, specimen collected 2008-02-05, E-BR 38-08, W of Bom Jesus da Lapa, Estado do Bahia, NE Brazil.
Dimorphism and dichromatophism; tips of anal and dorsal fin pointed and with with minute filamentous extensions in males, rounded in females; female dorsal fin 15-17 rays, male 16-18; female anal fin 18-19 rays, male 19-21; flanks with dark grey blotch in anterocentral portion and dark gray vertical bars in females; flanks brownish yellow with white dots, usually with faint brownish vertical bars in males (Costa, 2001).
Endemic to the Rio Sao Francisco floodplains; around Bom Jesus da Lapa and 33 km to the south, Estado do Bahia, Brazil (Costa, 2001).
E-BR 38-08, GPS: 433m asl, S 13º 1.712', W 43º 31.631', pond on the right side of the BR349 towards Bom Jesus da Lapa (towards east), 900 m west of the access to the BA161 (to the north), terra typica of C. attenuatus and Simpsonichthys flagellatus Costa, 2003, Estado do Bahia, Brazil (ME, 2008, pers. obs.).
Occurs syntop with Simpsonichthys flagellatus in E-BR 38-08.
IUCN Red List not evaluated.
Since this species occur in isolated ephemeral pools they are sensitive to changes in the geologic hydrosystem. Intensive water usage for agricultural irrigation purpose is a ubiquitous and serious threat.
Figure 4. Cynolebias attenuatus; young male, head close up, E-BR 38-08, W of Bom Jesus da Lapa, Estado do Bahia, NE Brazil.
Figure 2. Biotope E-BR 38-8, terra typica of Cynolebias attenuatus and Simpsonichthys flagellatus, W of Bom Jesus da Lapa, Estado do Bahia, NE Brazil.
Figure 3. Biotope E-BR 38-8, W of Bom Jesus da Lapa, Estado do Bahia, NE Brazil; plenty of submerse vegetation.
