Distribution extension of Hypostomus uruguayensis (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) in Argentina and first record for Bolivia. Molecular, morphology and biogeography data

Abstract

In recent years, the evolutionary history of the catfish genus Hypostomus has attracted much interest. However, the identification of species of this genus is challenging, given the complex taxonomy of the group and the scarce morphological information available for many taxa. Accurate taxonomic identification is essential to estimate the biodiversity in freshwater environments and the discovery of new fish species contributes not only to assess the diversity of regional fauna but also to reconstruct the geomorphological evolution of the river basins, notably in South America. The application of multi-source approaches takes advantage of the complementarity between disciplines to estimate the species diversity, especially among those with an obscure taxonomic status.