PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 113(4):900-917. 2000. Sorubim cuspicaudus, a new long-whiskered catfish from northwestern South America (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae) Michael W. Littmann, Brooks M. Burr, and Pedro Nass (MWL) Department of Ichthyology, The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, U.S.A.; (BMB) Department of Zoology & Center for Systematic Biology, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Carbondale, EL 62901-6501, U.S.A.; (PN) Av. Santiago Marino, C.C., Margarita Plaza Z.P 6301, Isla de Margarita, Estado Nueva Esparta, Venezuela, P.O. Box 1196 Abstract. — Sorubim cuspicaudus, new species, is diagnosed herein as the only member of the genus known to occur west of the Andean Cordillera Oriental, occurring in the Sinu, Cauca, and Magdalena Rivers of Colombia and the Lago Maracaibo basin of Colombia and Venezuela. It is distinguished from other Sorubim species by the following combination of characters: unique cau-dal fin shape with both lobes pointed; deep, blackened posterior fontanelle groove on the supraoccipital bone; combination of broad head and elongate body shape. Sorubim cuspicaudus is known to attain lengths greater than 80 cm, making it the largest species in the genus and thus a valuable food resource. Resumen. — Sorubim cuspicaudus es una nueva especie que se reconoce como la linica del genero que habita el occidente de la Cordillera Oriental Andina, presente en al Sinu, Cauca, y Magdalena, rios de Colombia y cuenca del Lago Maracaibo de Colombia y Venezuela. Se distingue de las demas especies del genero Sorubim por la combinacion de los siguientes caracteres: forma linica de la aleta caudal, con ambos lobulos aguzados, surco fontanelar posterior del hueso supraoccipital negro oscuro; la relacion entre el ancho de la cabeza y la longitud del cuerpo. Sorubim cuspicaudus alcanza tallas super-iores a los 80 cm, siendo la especie mas grande del genero y representa un importante recurso en el pesqueria comercial. Recent investigations into the systematic mercial fishery in Colombia and continues status of species assigned to the genus So-to provide traditional, artesanal fishermen rubim (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae) have led with subsistence protein, to the recognition of a new species from the Species of Sorubim are characterized by Maracaibo basin of western Venezuela and a shovel-like, projecting upper jaw expos-the Cauca, Magdalena, and Sinu drainages ing a large premaxillary tooth patch ven-in northwestern Colombia (Littmann 1998). trally, laterally positioned eyes, and a dis-This area is considered ichthyofaunally de-tinct, black horizontal stripe stretching from pauperate despite its large drainage area and the snout to the caudal fin. Species of So-diversity of aquatic habitats (Lundberg et rubim occur in a variety of stream and len-al. 1986). The restricted distribution of this tic habitats and are widely distributed species makes it the only member of the throughout most of the major freshwater genus found west of the Andean Cordillera drainage basins of tropical and subtropical Oriental. In addition, the new species is a South America, valuable component of the freshwater com-Twelve zoological names have been his-
BioStor
