Cruciglanis pacifici, gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Dagua and Anchicaya Rivers on the Pacific slope of Colombia. The new genus is differentiated from the other genera in the family by the presence of an ossified crucifix-shaped second basibranchial; ectopterygoid bone shaped as an inverted comma, with its distal end narrow and directed medially towards the mesopterygoid; anterior fontanel elongated, reaching a transverse line at sensory canal opening of the sphenotic bone; caudal fin emarginated with rounded edges and ventral lobe more developed than the dorsal lobe; caudal fin with a dark spot from its base and fused with the peduncular spot, covering the anterior three quarters of its length, distal rim totally hyaline. Coloration of the species is described in vivo, and the shared diagnostic characters with the other genera within the Pseudopimelodidae are discussed. The phylogenetic position of the new genus is proposed and new insights in the family interrelationships are presented.
Cruciglanis pacifici; Pseudopimelodidae; Taxonomy; Systematic; Neotropical; Catfishes; Dagua River; Anchicaya River; Colombia
