Cephalic sensorial pores in galaxiid fishes from Chile (Osmeriformes: Galaxiidae)

Abstract

© 2014, Escuela de Ciencias del Mar. All rights reserved. The number and arrangement of the cephalic pores of the lateral line in Chilean fishes of the family Galaxiidae, were studied. The study showed that Brachygalaxias differs from Galaxias, in the absence of mandibular pores and in pore number reductions in the preopeopercular series. The most important variations were recorded in Galaxias globiceps and G. platei. The former species differed from the other species in the absence of a pore in the preopercular series, while in G. platei the supraorbital pore situated behind the eye was the main distinctive feature observed, in contrast to the upper position observed in the other species studied. A taxonomic key using cephalic sensory pores is proposed. These results indicate that the cephalic sensorial pores of the lateral line are a useful taxonomic character in the improvement of the diagnosis of galaxiid fishes -and in taxonomic and systematic studies among family Galaxiidae members.