Hypsolebias is a genus of small fish in the family Rivulidae that are endemic the Caatinga, Cerrado and nearby regions in Brazil. The greatest species richness is in the São Francisco River basin, but there are also species in the Tocantins, Jequitinhonha and Jaguaribe systems, as well as smaller river basins in northeastern Brazil.Britzke, R., Nielsen, D.T.B. & Oliveira, C. (2016): Description of two new species of annual fishes of the Hypsolebias antenori species group (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae), from Northeast Brazil. Zootaxa, 4114 (2): 123–138.Costa, W.J.E.M., Amorim, P.F. & Bragança, P.H.N. (2014): Species limits and phylogenetic relationships of red-finned cryptic species of the seasonal killifish genus Hypsolebias from the Brazilian semi-arid Caatinga (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 52 (1): 52-58. Like their relatives, Hypsolebias are annual killifish. The short-lived adults inhabit temporary waters like rain pools, laying their eggs in the bottom. As their habitat dries up the adults die, but the eggs survive and hatch when the water returns in the next season.
The males are more colorful than the females, and male colors/patterns are a primary way of separating the different species. They are small fish that reach up to in total length.
Species
Hypsolebias was formerly regarded as a subgenus of Simpsonichthys. Although this split is generally accepted, a genetic study indicates that Hypsolebias is not monophyletic.
There are 35 currently recognized species in Hypsolebias:
Hypsolebias adornatus (W. J. E. M. Costa, 2000) Hypsolebias antenori (Tulipano, 1973) Hypsolebias auratus (W. J. E. M. Costa & D. T. B. Nielsen, 2000) Hypsolebias brunoi (W. J. E. M. Costa, 2003) Hypsolebias caeruleus W. J. E. M. Costa, 2013Costa, W.J.E.M. (2013): Hypsolebias caeruleus, a new seasonal killifish of the Hypsolebias adornatus complex from the Caatinga of north-eastern Brazil, São Francisco River basin (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 24 (2): 141-146. Hypsolebias carlettoi (W. J. E. M. Costa & D. T. B. Nielsen, 2004) Hypsolebias coamazonicus W. J. E. M. Costa, Amorim & Bragança, 2014 Hypsolebias faouri Britzke, D. T. B. Nielsen & C. de Oliveira, 2016 Hypsolebias flagellatus (W. J. E. M. Costa, 2003) Hypsolebias flammeus (W. J. E. M. Costa, 1989) Hypsolebias flavicaudatus (W. J. E. M. Costa & G. C. Brasil, 1990) Hypsolebias fulminantis (W. J. E. M. Costa & G. C. Brasil, 1993) Hypsolebias ghisolfii (W. J. E. M. Costa, Cyrino & D. T. B. Nielsen, 1996) Hypsolebias gilbertobrasili W. J. E. M. Costa, 2012Costa, W.J.E.M., Amorim, P.F. & Mattos, J.L.O. (2012): Species delimitation in annual killifishes from the Brazilian Caatinga, the Hypsolebias flavicaudatus complex (Cypriniformes: Rivulidae): implications for taxonomy and conservation. Systematics and Biodiversity, 10 (1): 71-91. Hypsolebias guanambi W. J. E. M. Costa & Amorim, 2011 Hypsolebias harmonicus (W. J. E. M. Costa, 2010) Hypsolebias hellneri (Berkenkamp, 1993) Hypsolebias igneus (W. J. E. M. Costa, 2000) Hypsolebias janaubensis (W. J. E. M. Costa, 2006) Hypsolebias longignatus (W. J. E. M. Costa, 2008) Hypsolebias lopesi (D. T. B. Nielsen, Shibatta, Suzart & A. F. Martín, 2010) Hypsolebias macaubensis (W. J. E. M. Costa & Suzart, 2006) Hypsolebias magnificus (W. J. E. M. Costa & G. C. Brasil, 1991) Hypsolebias martinsi Britzke, D. T. B. Nielsen & C. de Oliveira, 2016 Hypsolebias mediopapillatus (W. J. E. M. Costa, 2006) Hypsolebias nitens W. J. E. M. Costa, 2012 Hypsolebias notatus (W. J. E. M. Costa, Lacerda & G. C. Brasil, 1990) Hypsolebias nudiorbitatus W. J. E. M. Costa, 2011Costa, W.J.E.M. (2011): Hypsolebias nudiorbitatus, a new seasonal killifish from the Caatinga of northeastern Brazil, Itapicuru River basin (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 22 (3): 221-226. Hypsolebias picturatus (W. J. E. M. Costa, 2000) Hypsolebias pterophyllus W. J. E. M. Costa, 2012 Hypsolebias radiosus (W. J. E. M. Costa & G. C. Brasil, 2004) Hypsolebias radiseriatus W. J. E. M. Costa, 2012 Hypsolebias sertanejo W. J. E. M. Costa, 2012 Hypsolebias shibattai D. T. B. Nielsen, M. Martins, L. M. de Araújo & Suzart, 2014Nielsen, D.T.B., Martins, M., Araujo, L.M.d. & Suzart, R.d.R. (2014): Hypsolebias shibattai, a new species of annual fish (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) from the rio São Francisco basin, northeastern Brazil. aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology, 20 (1): 27-34. Hypsolebias tocantinensis D. T. B. Nielsen, J. C. da Cruz & A. C. Baptista, 2012Nielsen, D.T.B., Cruz, J.C. & Baptista, A.C.Jr. (2012): A new species of annual fish, Hypsolebias tocantinensis sp.n. (Cyprinodontiformes:Rivulidae) from the rio Tocantins basin, northeastern Brazil. Zootaxa, 3527: 63–71. Hypsolebias trifasciatus D. T. B. Nielsen, M. Martins, L. M. de Araújo, F. O. de Lira & A. F. Martín, 2014Nielsen, D.T.B., Martins, M., Araujo, L.M.d., Lira, F.O.d. & Faour, A. (2014): Hypsolebias trifasciatus, a new species of annual fish (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) from the rio Preto, rio São Francisco basin, northeastern Brazil. aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology, 20 (3): 131-138.
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