Batrachoidiformes de aguas colombianas

Abstract

In order to establish the group diversity and to clarify the status of some species, a taxonomic review of the teleostean fishes included in the order Batrachoidiformes (toadfishes) from Colombian waters was made, based on available samples in the main fish collections of the country. The Batrachoidiformes include a single family, Batrachoididae, with three subfamilies (Porichthyinae, Batrachoidinae y Thalassophryninae) in the New World. In Colombia there are five genera deposited in the Colombian Marine Natural History Museum - MHNMC and the referenced collections: Porichthys, Batrachoides, Sanopus, Daector, and Thalassophryne. Those genera include 15 species: P. margaritatus, P. oculellus, P. pauciradiatus, P. plectrodon, B. boulengeri, B. manglae, B. pacifici, B. surinamensis, Sanopus sp., D. dowi, D. gerringi, D. quadrizonatus, T. amazonica, T. maculosa, and T. nattereri. The most representative species of referenced collections because of the number of samples and wide distribution in Colombian water are D. dowi, P. plectrodon, P. margaritatus, and T. maculosa. An identification key for Colombian species of Batrachoidiformes is included.

Keywords

• Batrachoididae
• Taxonomía
• Colecciones ictiológicas
• Colombia