The cascudos of the genus Hypostomus Lacépède (Ostariophysi: Loricariidae) from the rio Iguaçu basin

We reviewed several large collections of the genus Hypostomus from the rio Iguaçu basin summing up to 793 specimens mainly from the Laboratório de Ictiologia do Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva from Universidade Federal de São Carlos, from fish collection of Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aquicultura da Universidade Estadual de Maringá, and from the Museu de História Natural do Capão da Imbuia. Hypostomus albopunctatus, H. commersoni, H. derbyi, and H. myersi are redescribed and Hypostomus nigropunctatus is described as a new species. A practical key for identification of Hypostomus species from the rio Iguaçu is also provided.

The authors are indebted to Barbara Brown (AMNH), Mary A. Rogers of Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), Claude Weber and Sonia F. Muller (MHNG), Mark Sabaj-Perez (ANSP), Osvaldo T. Oyakawa (MZUSP), Patrick Campbell (BMNH), Patrice Pruvost (MNHN), Vinícius Abilhoa (MHNCI) and Zilda M. S. Lucena (MCP) for loan of comparative material and hosting museum visits; Renata Ota (UEM- NUP) and Vinícius Abilhoa (MNHCI) for helping with collection data information. Alexandre K. de Oliveira helped with cataloguing specimens at laboratory. Copel and Nupélia provided logistical support in some fieldwork. This study was supported by funds and grants from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for JCG, HAB, and CHZ. CHZ was supported by grants from the US National Foundation (DEB-0315963) through the project entitled Planetary Biodiversity Inventory: All Catfish Species (Siluriformes), Phase I of an Inventory of the Otophysi to visit museums, and JCG from the Robert O. Bass Visitor Fund of FMNH to visit the Field Museum of Natural History.