First record of the miniature catfish Malacoglanis gelatinosus Myers & Weitzman, 1966 (Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae) in the Orinoco river basin

Abstract

Malacoglanis gelatinosus, a species of miniature catfish of the family Trichomycteridae, is only known from 4 specimens from the Amazon basin. Recently, we collected 3 specimens from the upper basin of the Meta River, a tributary of the Orinoco. This is the first record of M. gelatinosus from the Orinoco river basin, which significantly expands the known geographic distribution of this species, making it one of the most broadly distributed species within the subfamily Sarcoglanidinae. High-resolution photographs of specimens, remarks on character variation, and an updated distribution in Colombia are provided.