Reservoirs are relatively new ecosystems with fish assemblages that include both native and introduced species. Spatial and temporal variability in such fish assemblages is difficult to predict from ecological theory. We characterized the dynamics of an offshore fish assemblage of Lake Texoma by sampling multiple fixed sites fortnightly with gill nets from 1981 to 1984 (402 net-nights). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to quantify (1) variation of the fish assemblage in space and time, (2) spatial and temporal independence of samples, (3) persistence of species associations, and (4) correlations between the dynamics of the fish assemblage and environmental conditions. Overall, depth and season accounted for the greatest amount of variation in the fish assemblage in our study area. Much of this variation was the result of spatial and temporal fluctuation in the abundance of various age classes of Dorosoma cepedianum (Gizzard Shad), Morone saxatilis (Striped Bass), and Aplodinotus grunniens (Freshwater Drum). With the exception of a winter kill of the nonnative Dorosoma petenense (Threadfin Shad), the reservoir fish assemblage differed little among years. Species associations were constant across years during the warm season but not in cold seasons. Overall, the fish assemblage in our study area remained relatively consistent, in spite of considerable variability in reservoir volume, turbidity, and temperature.

Land Mullets (Egernia major, Scincidae) are large (60 cm total length), powerful glossy black lizards that are restricted to rain forest and associated habitats in southeastern Australia. We conducted the first ecological study of these spectacular animals to evaluate the degree to which anthropogenic activities might threaten population viability. Twelve adult lizards were captured in the Barrington Tops area of eastern New South Wales and implanted with miniature temperature-sensitive radiotransmitters. The lizards were released at their sites of capture and located daily for the next six weeks. In conjunction with surveys of surrounding areas, our data document strong patterns in habitat selection at various spatial scales. The lizards are most abundant in ecotonal forest rather than in either dense rain forest or more open eucalypt-dominated areas. They are most abundant in areas with high numbers of large fallen logs and spend most of their time in or near these logs. Radio-tracked animals were generally located close to clearings (including roads) but actively avoided crossing roads. Land mullets are diurnal heliotherms, basking for long periods each day to achieve body temperatures around 30 C. Their black color increases heating rate, and their large size retards cooling, thus facilitating retention of high temperatures as they forage in cool forest habitats. The animals' ability to take advantage of anthropogenic disturbance (partial clearing of vegetation) suggests that E. major populations are likely to be viable as long as suitable habitat (especially large fallen timber) is available.

Microdesmidae (sensu stricto) includes 30 species of elongate, cryptic, benthic gobioid fishes. The phylogenetic relationships among microdesmid species have been unknown, and the sister taxon to Microdesmidae has been a matter of debate. In this study, the relationships of microdesmid species are hypothesized based on morphological characters, analyzed with cladistic parsimony methods. Characters previously used as evidence for a sister-taxon relationship between Microdesmidae, s.s., and five genera classified as a subfamily (Ptereleotrinae) in an expanded Microdesmidae are reexamined and found to be invalid. Microdesmidae s.s. is restored, including only Cerdale, Clarkichthys, Microdesmus, Gunnellichthys, and Paragunnellichthys. Monophyly of the microdesmid genera is confirmed, and characters diagnosing each genus, and other clades revealed in this analysis, are discussed. The five genera formerly placed in Ptereleotrinae are referred to Ptereleotridae (incertae sedis within Gobioidei), bringing the total number of gobioid families to nine. Microdesmidae is also placed incertae sedis in Gobioidei; some sister-taxon candidates could be excluded based on the characters surveyed in this analysis, but among other gobioids, no clear sister taxon to Microdesmidae could be identified.

Rock dragons are medium-sized agamid lizards restricted to arid or semiarid rocky habitats in southern Australia. When eggs from two species (Ctenophorus decresii and Ctenophorus ornatus) were incubated at constant temperatures in the laboratory, temperature affected incubation period, hatchling tail length, and sex determination. At the lowest incubation temperature (25 C), all hatchlings were female; the proportion of males increased at higher incubation temperatures. Rock dragons are fast growing and short-lived lizards; in the field they reproduce for only one or two seasons. Females lay multiple clutches of eggs from spring through to late summer which, in the climatically temperate part of Australia where these species occur, suggests that the date of hatching may be a good predictor of hatchling sex. Any sex differences in hatching date would, in turn, translate into sex differences in body size at the beginning of the next reproductive season. If the relationship between body size and reproductive success differs between the sexes in adult rock dragons, this would provide a plausible basis for the evolution of temperature-dependent sex determination in these species.

We investigated the use of geometric morphological shape differences to differentiate laboratory-reared larval (4–22 days posthatch, < 10 mm SL) Morone chrysops, Morone saxatilis, and Morone chrysops ♀ × M. saxatilis ♂ hybrids. We also examined impacts of allometry on descriptions of individual shape. For validation of a shape-based taxonomic discrimination model, we used cellulose acetate electrophoresis to establish a “known species” test group of field-collected larvae based on banding patterns for the enzyme system esterase. Geometric shape was described with Cartesian coordinates of 16 anatomical landmarks located along the midsaggital outline of laboratory-reared (n = 373) and field-collected (n = 29) larvae. Coordinate data were reoriented and rescaled to uniform centroid size and analyzed as landmark displacements from a reference form. Discriminant function analysis resulted in 100% separation of M. chrysops and M. saxatilis larvae based on geometric shape. Discrimination success dropped to 87% when more variable data from hybrids were included in the discriminant function. Seventy percent and 87%, respectively, of field collected larvae (n = 29) and a randomly selected laboratory subgroup (n = 40) were correctly classified to taxon. Results suggest that taxonomic separation of early-stage larvae based on shape data is not affected by allometry but is sensitive to larval nutritional condition and handling. Landmark-based morphometrics may provide an improved, simple method of discrimination among species in sympatric populations of closely related larval fishes.

‘Barbus’ serengetiensis is described from rivers in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, East Africa. The rivers are part of the Grumeti River drainage, itself part of the Lake Victoria basin. ‘Barbus’ serengetiensis is a small species diagnosed by the following combination of characters: radiately striate scales having fewer than 15 striae; dorsal fin with seven branched rays; dorsal fin origin posterior to pelvic fin origin; a single pair of short barbels; a short snout with a terminal, anterodorsally directed mouth; incomplete lateral line; 32–36 scales in the lateral line series; 16 scales around the caudal peduncle; no pelvic axillary scale; and 10–12 olfactory lamellae. It is unusual among African ‘Barbus’ in having high scale counts combined with a last unbranched dorsal ray that is segmented and flexible.

The reproductive period of the inseminating glandulocaudine Diapoma speculiferum was determined through the analysis of 133 males and 158 females obtained from monthly collections in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The reproductive period is highly seasonal, occurring from September to February, which corresponds to the Austral spring and summer. Both male and female gonadosomatic indices were highly correlated with changes in water temperature and day length and, to a lesser extent, food availability. No correlation with rainfall was found. Absolute fecundity (mean 491.1 ± 159.5 oocytes per female) was similar to those found in two externally fertilizing cheirodontine characids but lower than that found in the inseminating glandulocaudine Pseudocorynopoma doriae. Relative fecundities (oocyte number per milligram total body weight) of the inseminating D. speculiferum and P. doriae were found to be lower than that of two externally fertilizing cheirodontines, suggesting that inseminating species may expend a smaller amount of energy in egg production, perhaps as a result of a higher efficiency in fertilization. Gonad histology showed the presence of spermatozoa in ovaries of maturing females, indicating that courtship and insemination take place before the ovaries are mature. Fertilized eggs were not found in the ovaries, suggesting that fertilization may be a very rapid event once oocytes are ovulated.

O período reprodutivo do glandulocaudíneo com inseminação, Diapoma speculiferum, foi determinado pela análise de 133 machos e 158 fêmeas obtidos em coletas mensais no Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Seu ciclo reprodutivo é sazonal ocorrendo de setembro a fevereiro, correspondendo á primavera e verão na região Austral. Para machos e fêmeas o índice gonadossomático foi altamente correlacionado com as mudanças na temperatura da água e fotoperíodo e, em menor extensão, com a disponibilidade de alimento. Quanto ao índice pluviométrico, não foi verificada nenhuma correlação. A média da fecundidade absoluta (491,1 ± 159,5 ovócitos por fêmea) foi semelhante a observada em dois queirodontíneos de fecundação externa, e menor do que o glandulocaudíneo com inseminação Pseudocorynopoma doriae. A fecundidade relativa (número de ovócitos por miligrama de peso total) dos glandulocaudíneos com inseminação D. speculiferum e P. doriae foi menor do que nos queirodontíneos com fertilização externa, sugerindo que espécies com inseminação tem um menor gasto energético na produção dos ovócitos, talvez como resultado de uma maior eficiência na fertilização. A histologia das gônadas demonstrou a presença de espermatozóides em ovários de fêmeas em maturação, indicando que a corte e inseminação iniciam antes dos ovários estarem maduros. Não foram encontrados ovos fertilizados nos ovários, sugerindo que a fertilização ocorra durante a ovulação.

Trichomycterus catamarcensis, new species, is described from a tributary to the high elevation Laguna Blanca in Departamento Belén, Provincia de Catamarca, Argentina. Characters from various body systems indicate that the new species is a member of the subfamily Trichomycterinae. The new species is separable from the other members of the Trichomycterinae by its lack of the pelvic fins and girdle, the form of the body and caudal fin, the number of dorsal fin rays and ribs, its pigmentation pattern, the form of premaxillary dentition, and the maximum body size.

Trichomycterus catamarcensis, nueva especie, es descripta de un tributario de Laguna Blanca de elevada altura en el Departamento Belén, Provincia de Catamarca, Argentina. Caracteres de varios sistemas del cuerpo indican que la nueva especie es un miembro de la subfamilia Trichomycterinae. La nueva especie se separa de los otros miembros de Trichomycterinae por su ausencia de aletas pélvicas y cintura pélvica, la forma del cuerpo y aleta caudal, el número de radios de la aleta dorsal y costillas, su patrón de pigmentación, la forma de la dentición premaxilar y el tamaño máximo del cuerpo.

The genus Corymbophanes and its type, Corymbophanes andersoni, are redescribed, and one new species, Corymbophanes kaiei is described. Among loricariids, Corymbophanes is diagnosed by a unique combination of characteristics: absence of dorsal flap of iris; absence of adipose fin; and presence of an elongate postdorsal ridge of 13–17 raised median unpaired plates. Corymbophanes kaiei differs from C. andersoni by the presence of vermiculations on the abdomen (vs abdomen lightly colored in C. andersoni), presence of distinct alternating light and dark bands on the caudal fin (vs light bands largely absent), anal fin I,5 (vs I,4), caudal peduncle moderately (vs strongly) compressed, and three to four (vs five) plates below the adpressed pectoral fin spine. Corymbophanes is known only from the Potaro River Drainage above Kaieteur Falls in west-central Guyana. Corymbophanes bahianus is transferred to Hemipsilichthys.

Cottus caeruleomentum (Blue Ridge Sculpin) is described from the Elk, Susquehanna, Bush, Patapsco, Patuxent, Potomac, Nanticoke, James, and Roanoke drainages of the middle Atlantic eastern United States. The new species is a member of the bairdi group with the following characters: sexual dimorphism in breeding features, two-spotted first dorsal fin, chin uniformly pigmented, dorsal saddles moderate to wide, incomplete lateral line, preopercular spines slight to moderate, palatine teeth weak to moderate, and postpectoral prickling slight to moderate. Cottus caeruleomentum is differentiated from C. b. bairdi by (the first character state refers to C. caeruleomentum): (1) caudal base band unnotched in at least one side versus both sides notched; (2) pectoral fin rays modally 14 versus modally 15; and (3) electrophoretic mobility at the Ck-A locus fast versus slow. Cottus caeruleomentum is a variable species with interdrainage differences in morphology and allozymes. Parsimony analysis of allozyme data and one morphological character using Cottus girardi as the outgroup revealed C. caeruleomentum is monophyletic with respect to the three populations of C. b. bairdi included in this study. Data suggest C. caeruleomentum dispersed through the extended greater Susquehanna River during the Pleistocene epoch.

Lampetra minima, believed eradicated in 1958 and extinct, survives in upper tributaries of the historical Williamson drainage in Klamath and Lake Counties, Oregon. The species, the smallest known parasitic lamprey, was believed to be endemic to Miller Lake. Its current disjunct distribution includes Miller Creek, Jack Creek, and upper sections of the Williamson and Sycan Rivers. We compare new specimens with the type series and other Klamath Basin lampreys and redescribe L. minima. It appears most similar to Lampetra lethophaga but is smaller (72–145 mm vs 115–170 mm TL), has a larger disc length (5.0–8.6% vs 4.2–6.4% TL), larger prebranchial length (11.0–17.0% vs 8.8–13.7% TL), and larger eye (2.1–3.3% vs 1.4–2.3% TL). Klamath Basin Lampetra differ from anadromous Lampetra tridentata in a single transition in cytochrome b, and L. minima have an additional, but not unique, transition. Our data do not support the suggestion that L. minima recently evolved from a L. tridentata–like ancestor; rather we suggest a more ancient separation and a sister relationship with L. lethophaga.

Sixteen species of Loricariichthys Bleeker, 1862 are currently recognized in South America, four of which inhabit the continent portions south of the Amazon basin: Loricariichthys anus (Valenciennes, 1836) from lower río Paraná, rio Uruguai, and coastal streams in southern Brazil; Loricariichthys castaneus (Castelnau, 1855) from coastal streams of southeastern Brazil; Loricariichthys labialis (Boulenger, 1895) from río Paraguay and lower río Parana; and Loricariichthys platymetopon Isbrücker and Nijssen, 1979, from Río de la Plata basin. Three additional new species are described from this region, Loricariichthys edentatus n. sp. from the Province of Entre Rios, Argentina, Loricariichthys melanocheilus n. sp. from the rio Uruguai basin, and Loricariichthys rostratus n. sp. from the Itaipu Hydroelectric reservoir, in the río Paraná. Loricariichthys edentatus n. sp. has no teeth on the premaxilla, a feature unique in the genus. The monophyly of the genus Loricariichthys is discussed and it is provisionally diagnosed by having (1) the third infrapharyngobranchial with a triangular lateral flange; (2) ventral shelf of the antero- and posterohyal tall, deflected posteriorly so that it nearly forms a 180° angle with the main bodies of the bones; (3) the upper lip coalesced with the premaxillary region medially, never having barbel-like fringes along the transverse, medial portion and (4) the lower lip of immature males and females formed by two thick, cushionlike structures. Loricariichthys spixii (Steindachner, 1881) is regarded as a junior synonym of L. castaneus.

Dezessies espécies de Loricariichthys Bleeker, 1862 são atualmente reconhecidas na América do Sul, quatro das quais habitam as porções do continente ao sul da bacia Amazônica: Loricariichthys anus (Valenciennes, 1836) do baixo rio Paraná, rio Uruguai e bacias costeiras do sul do Brasil; Loricariichthys castaneus (Castelnau, 1855) das bacias costeiras do sudeste do Brasil; Loricariichthys labialis (Boulenger, 1895) do rio Paraguai e baixo rio Paraná; e Loricariichthys platymetopon Isbrücker and Nijssen (1979) do rio Paraná, rio Paraguai e rio Uruguai. Três novas espécies são descritas desta mesma região: Loricariichthys edentatus sp. n. da Provincia de Entre Rios, Argentina; Loricariichthys melanocheilus sp. n. da bacia do rio Uruguai; e Loricariichthys rostratus sp. n. da região do lago da Usina Hidroelétrica de Itaipu, no rio Paraná. Loricariichthys edentatus sp. n. não apresenta dentes no premaxilar, um caráter único neste gênero. O monofiletismo de Loricariichthys é discutido, sendo o gênero diagnosticado provisoriamente por apresentar: (1) o terceiro infrafaringobranquial com uma lâmina lateral triangular; (2) lâminas ventrais dos cerato-hial anterior e posterior altas, defletidas posteriormente para quase formar um ângulo de 180° com o corpo principal dos óssos; (3) o lábio superior coalescido com a região do premaxilar medialmente, nunca possuindo franjas ou barbelas ao longo da porção medio-transv

A new species of the corydoradine catfish genus Aspidoras is described from an isolated coastal river basin in northeastern Brazil. The new species is the first record of a member of the subfamily Corydoradinae from the intervening region between the rio Jaguaribe and rio São Francisco basins. Aspidoras depinnai, new species, is distinguished from all congeners by the presence of distal bifid serrations on the ossified portion of pectoral-spine posterior border and an irregular arclike blotch on the caudal peduncle. It differs from the remaining Aspidoras species examined in the present study by the presence of an irregular row of minute pores on the head and a small cartilage between the upper principal and procurrent caudal fin rays.

Lycenchelys fedorovi is described from 42 specimens from the northern Kuril Islands, Russia. Unknown before 1993, specimens have been taken only along a rise complex in the western wall of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench at depths of 190–700 m. The species differs from all congeners in the northwestern Pacific in lacking pelvic fins and is the fifth species of Lycenchelys to be described with this character state. The new species is most closely related to another northwestern Pacific congener, Lycenchelys maculatus, but differs from it in its lack of pelvic fins and predorsal scales, usually five postorbital pores, and whitish tail tip.

We studied the correlations between body size parameters (SVL and body condition) and clutch parameters (size and mass) as well as between clutch size and egg parameters (mass, volume, length, and width) in a population of Calotes versicolor, a multiclutched lizard that breeds from May to October in southern India. We also analyzed the relationships between early, mid, and late clutches among lizards of different SVL groups. Clutch size and SVL did not vary among years. Clutch size and clutch mass were positively correlated with body size. Egg mass and volume were negatively correlated with clutch size. Clutch size was larger in early and midbreeders than in late breeders. Interestingly, the eggs of late clutches were larger than those of early breeders. A trade-off between clutch size and egg volume was always obvious. The width of eggs did not vary with SVL or clutch timing, perhaps because the width of the pelvic aperture remained virtually constant after maturity. Thus, variation in egg volume in C. versicolor is because of variation in egg length. A wide range of variation in egg volume even among lizards with similar SVL suggests that there is no optimization of egg volume in this species. In contrast, the clutch mass of early, mid, and late clutches did not vary among lizards of comparable SVL. Apparently, SVL acts as a prime factor determining clutch mass in C. versicolor, and the latter is optimized by natural selection.

The North American cyprinid genus Pteronotropis contains five species distributed in streams and swamps of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain. The genus is currently recognized even though previous explicitly phylogenetic analyses have not supported the monophyly of this group. Of particular interest is the relationship between Pteronotropis welaka and Pteronotropis hubbsi, both of which are nest associates with centrarchids. Although these species are morphologically similar, there is limited support for a sister-group relationship between them. We performed phylogenetic analyses of all five species currently recognized in Pteronotropis and five outgroup taxa based on nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene using both parsimony and maximum-likelihood analyses. Pteronotropis hypselopterus and Pteronotropis euryzonus were consistently resolved as sister taxa, as were, P. welaka and P. hubbsi. Pteronotropis signipinnis was sister to the P. welaka plus P. hubbsi clade in likelihood and parsimony analyses when rate variation at third codon positions was taken into account. However, none of the analyses resolved a monophyletic group inclusive of all five species. If Pteronotropis is actually a monophyletic group, our inability to resolve it as such may be a result of sampling of outgroup taxa or the rate of evolution in cytochrome b in these taxa. Additional sampling of taxa, particularly within the genus Notropis is needed to further resolve phylogenetic relationships within Pteronotropis and the relationships of the species to other North American cyprinid taxa. The sister-group relationship between P. welaka and P. hubbsi indicates a single origin of nest association rather than a dual origin as indicated by previous studies.

Twelve Bufo woodhousii from Lyon County, Kansas, were acclimated to 20 ± 1 C with a 14:10 photoperiod for at least 10 days. Oxygen consumption was measured in each toad at 3, 7, 28, and 120 h after eating an insect meal equal to 5% of the toad's mass. Half of the toads were first measured at 120 h after the meal, and this was followed by a second meal. The rest of the toads were first measured 3 h after the feeding. Oxygen consumption values were significantly higher 3 h after eating than at 7, 28, and 120 h postfeeding. At 3 h postfeeding, oxygen consumption was 1.7 times the value at 120 h after feeding.

We investigated the presence of chemical alarm signals in juvenile Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) under laboratory conditions. We exposed individual sunfish to skin extracts of conspecifics and swordtails (Xiphophorus helleri), a species not known to possess alarm pheromones and that is phylogenetically distant and allopatric from green sunfish. Sunfish significantly increased time spent freezing and time with dorsal fin rays erect (known antipredator postures) in response to conspecific skin extract but not to swordtail skin extract. No significant difference was noted in change in area use for sunfish exposed to conspecific versus swordtail skin extract. These results suggest that juvenile green sunfish possess chemical alarm signals. This is the first such demonstration in a centrarchid species.

Two pseudoplesiopine species, Pseudoplesiops rosae and Pseudoplesiops howensis, were found to possess a highly specialized urinary bladder. The urinary bladder was so-identified by tracking the opisthonephric ducts from the trunk kidney to their termination within the bladder lumen. The specializations included a pronounced thickening of the bladder wall, an elaboration of the internal surface area by means of extensive septal intrusions, and the frequent presence of vesicular or colloidal secretions within the bladder lumen. The extensive septal intrusions as well as the inner wall of the bladder lumen were lined by a conspicuous tall columnar epithelium. The epithelium and septa were most prominent in fish having no or only small amounts of accumulated lumenal secretions. In other fish having large amounts of stored lumenal secretions, the septa and septal epithelia were reduced or absent, suggesting a holocrine form of secretion. The tall columnar epithelium in the bladder consisted of cells having granular cytoplasm and, in some instances, small amounts of contained material identical in appearance to the accumulated secretions occupying the bladder, suggesting that the epithelial cells may be the source of the secretions. Considerable amounts of stored secretions were present in approximately half of the specimens sampled from these two species. These secretions were resistant to digestion and clearing in counterstained skeletal preparations and were PAS-unreactive, suggesting the absence of a carbohydrate component. The composition and function of the secretions is currently unknown; however, the equal frequency of occurrence of secretions in immatures and adults of both sexes rules out a solely reproduction-associated function.

The discovery of three pairs of cochliodont tooth plates that appear to have belonged to the same fish makes it possible to describe the complete dentition of a Carboniferous chondrichthyan hitherto described from isolated dental elements only. Reconstructed from these tooth plates found in a marine deposit, the dentition consists of one pair of elongated palatal plates that occludes with two pair of plates on the lower jaw. The palatal plates were originally described as Sandalodus; the large triangular mandibular tooth plates as Deltodus. These tooth plates, with a smaller pair from the front of the lower jaw earlier assigned to Orthopleurodus, are synonymized as Deltodus angularis.

The upper Tennessee River drainage populations of Etheostoma tippecanoe Jordan and Evermann were recently elevated to specific status with the description of the Golden Darter, Etheostoma denoncourti Stauffer and van Snik. In the description, the Duck River system was included as part of the range of E. denoncourti, although no specimens from that system were examined. Evaluation of the taxonomic status of the Duck River system population of E. denoncourti was conducted using meristic, morphometric, and nuptial coloration characters. The Duck River population was compared with other Tennessee River drainage populations of E. denoncourti and with Cumberland and Ohio drainage populations of E. tippecanoe. The Duck River population appears to be unique based strictly on meristics; however, it is similar to other E. denoncourti populations by nuptial coloration, presence of cheek scales behind the eye, and the complete separation of the posterior nasal openings from the interorbital canal. Etheostoma denoncourti is rediagnosed, and current status and distributional information are provided for both E. tippecanoe and E. denoncourti.

Though many amphibians breed in response to rainfall, rainfall can create substantial risks as well as benefits. For species that breed in ephemeral ponds and puddles, heavy rainfall can create many “false” ponds that quickly desiccate, particularly in wet years. As a result, nightly responses to rainfall may vary depending on seasonal or yearly rainfall. I used two years of data and previous studies to demonstrate variation in response to rainfall by breeding Tungara Frogs (Physalaemus pustulosus) on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. In 1997, an unusually dry year, breeding tungara frogs were far more abundant on wet nights than on dry nights. In 1998, an average year for rainfall, tungara frogs exhibited no significant response to rainfall and even a trend toward greater abundance on dry nights. In addition, female frogs were more sensitive to the effects of rainfall than were males. As a result, mating system parameters were highly dependent on both nightly and yearly rainfall.

Lepidodactylus lombocensis and Lepidodactylus intermedius, both from the Lesser Sunda Archipelago, Indonesia, are usually considered synonyms or subspecies of the broadly distributed Lepidodactylus lugubris. However, reexamination of the type specimens of these taxa revealed that they are actually distinct from L. lugubris in having characteristics of Brown and Parker's (1977) Group II, such as undivided terminal scansors on all digits and subcylindrical tails without distinct lateral edges or serrations. The two species also differ from other Group II species in several meristic characters. Furthermore, L. lombocensis and L. intermedius differ from each other in a few characters, such as the number of scale rows at midbody and dorsal color pattern. We thus consider both of these species as valid. A revised key is provided to the Group II species of Lepidodactylus.

A detailed comparison of the original descriptions of Rhamphichthys cingulatus Brind, 1935, and Gymnotus coatesi LaMonte, 1935, including study of the holotype of this latter species, leads to the conclusion that these two names refer to the same species. Based on currently available information on the publication dates of these specific names, Rhamphichthys cingulatus is regarded as a subjective junior synonym of Gymnotus coatesi. Information in Brind (1935) indicates that the specimens available for his description of R. cingulatus and the holotype of G. coatesi were part of the same original sample and were collected near, or in, the rio Moju, Amazon basin, Pará, Brazil.

Uma comparação detalhada entre as descrições originais de Rhamphichthys cingulatus Brind, 1935, e Gymnotus coatesi LaMonte, 1935, incluindo o estudo do holótipo desta última espécie, leva à conclusão de que estes dois nomes referem-se a uma mesma espécie. Com base em informações atualmente disponíveis relativas às datas de publicação destes nomes específicos, Rhamphichthys cingulatus é considerada um sinônimo júnior subjetivo de Gymnotus coatesi. Informações no trabalho de Brind (1935) indicam que os exemplares disponíveis para sua descrição de R. cingulatus e o holótipo de G. coatesi eram parte de uma mesma amostragem original, tendo sido coletados nas proximidades do, ou no, rio Moju (bacia Amazônica, Pará, Brasil).