Description

Dorsal soft rays (total): 14 - 15; Anal soft rays: 9 - 11; Vertebrae: 42. Diagnosis: the presence of tooth-bearing plates on dorsal surface of the basihyal and basibranchials and the medial margins of contralateral dentaries converging towards the mandibular symphysis in ventral view, includes the species in the H. malabaricus group; the presence of 5 brown bands transversely placed on lower jaw distinguishes the new species from its congeners, except H. microlepis (vs. lower jaw with small black or brown dots uniformly distributed or straight); the number of circunpeduncular scales in H. mbigua is 20 whereas H. teres and H. malabaricus have 18 circunpeduncular scales and H. microlepis 22-24, usually 24; Hoplias mbigua has convex dorsal profile between head and dorsal fin and large tooth plate on basihyal whereas H. teres has straight dorsal profile and smaller tooth plates on basihyal; Hoplias mbigua is distinguished from H. microlepis by the presence of 12-16 gill rakers on 1st epibranchial (vs. about 9) and 42-43 lateral line scales (vs. 43-47); Hoplias mbigua has a large supraopercle, with its anterior margin contacting the infraorbitals 5 and 6 whereas the lectotype of H. malabaricus has a short supraopercle, with an anterior margin scarcely extended before anterior opercular margin; Hoplias mbigua is distinguished from H. cf. malabaricus by the dorsal surface of head scarcely or strongly concave (vs. convex in H. cf. malabaricus); a large eye, with the upper margin of orbit strongly marked in skull roof (vs. lateral margin of skull scarcely concave at orbit); the shape of anterior profile of head angular in lateral view (vs. rounded), and the lower head depth 45-50 % of HL (vs. more than 50 % of HL); Hoplias mbigua has a large tooth-plate on basihyal and basibranchials instead of 2 lines of tooth-plates at sides of bones in H. cf. malabaricus; size or shape of basibranchial tooth-plate not observed in the radiograph of the H. malabaricus lectotype (Ref. 114112).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Characiformes

Family: Erythrinidae

Genus: Hoplias

Species: Hoplias mbigua Azpelicueta, Benítez, Aichino & Mendez, 2015

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Life cycle and mating behavior

Habitat

benthopelagic