Research Training Program

Maria Verónica Toral G.
Universidad del Azuay
Cuenca, ECUADOR

Bruce B. Collette, Ph.D.
Project Advisor
Vertebrate Zoology Unit, Fishes

"This is the greatest thing I've ever done!"

A revision of the viviparous half-beak genus Dermogenys (Teleostei: Hemiramphidae)

Dermogenys consists of freshwater viviparous half-beaks found in Southeast Asia. Males have the anal fin ray modified into an andropodium. The main objective in this paper is to find valid characters to identify the populations in this genus. Of all characters that were studied only the dorsal-anal fin ray count relation proved to be useful in distinguishing the viviparous-group from the pusillus-group within this genus. This relation showed a very distinct ratio for each group: for the viviparous-group, 10-11 for the dorsal, 15-17 for the anal; for the pusillus-group, 9-10 for the dorsal, 14-15 for the anal.

This research was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Women's Committee.