INFOWEB 20 :
African genus Epiplatys fully reviewed with 7 subgenera and no more subspecies

From Jean H. Huber
Private address: 7 Bd Flandrin, 75116 Paris, France
M.N.H.N., Ichthyology, PARIS, France.

Paris, May 7. 2024.

Dear Colleague, dear Aquarist!

The systematics of the African genus Epiplatys are fully reviewed with 7 subgenera and no more subspecies in the last issue of Killi-Data Series (2024) in 57 pages.

Epiplatys is now with 7 subgenera, Aphyoplatys (as Aphyop.), Epiplatys s.s., as Ep., Kulonplatys, as Kulon., Lycocyprinus as Lyc., Parepiplatys, as Par., Pseudepiplatys, as Ps., Xerosplatys, as Xeros. (official abbreviations in Killi-Data), Kulonplatys and Xerosplatys, being new with type species respectively fasciolatus and bifasciatus.
And no more subspecies are retained (all are upgraded to full species status).
The new subegenera assignments, the downgrading of previous genera Aphyoplatys and Pseudepiplatys, and the full species status for previous subspecies are fully in line with molecular evidence by Collier (2009, 2016, 2021, alone or not as co-author).
Major changes concern the revalidation of lokoensis, the synonymy of taeniatus, the new phylogenetic hypotheses of longiventralis, biafranus, nigricans, and the shift in naming of the multifasciatus species-group (or superspecies) to ansorgii species-group (because of anteriority).

Full details are at ABSTRACT-REFERENCE, and the full PDF can be purchased at cost or requested for free by Killi-Data members after free REGISTRATION !

Today the taxonomic landscape is clearer. Is it the last word? Certainly not, a full mitochondial study with all species of the genus is needed, our understanding is still too poor.

In the following visual table (that can be sorted according to the title of each column), the list of previous and new names and status in Killi-Data is given in 6 columns, (1) each previous name (taxon) in Killi-Data, (2) the previous status of each taxon in Killi-Data, (3) each new name, (4) list of describer(s), year, (5) new status for each taxon, (6) allocation to subgenera for valid sp. {note : for columns (2) and (5), valid sp. means that species is considered as valid, '= x' means that species is considered a synonym of x, nomin. subsp. and subsp. x meant respectively valid nominate subspecies and valid junior subspecies of x, invalid refers to an invalid name, nom. preocc. refers to a preoccupied name}.

If you are in a hurry, just click once on last column and you'll have the new full names (with subgenus) in Killi-Data.

With this major revision, this is the before-last review needed on large genera of Killifish (Cyprinodontiformes), knowing that the last one on Procatopodidae or African true lampeyes is in the pipeline for later 2024 or 2025 !

To show up the still poor knowledge on Epiplatinae, let's copy the conclusion of the article by Huber:
Ref.: Huber, J.H. 2024. Taxonomic Reappraisal and Rearrangement of genus Epiplatys and Its generic and specific Components, with 2 new subgenera. Killi-Data Series 2024, (2024): 4-60, figs.

(Quote) The phylogenetic status of components of the genus is so poor and field studies are so dispersed (and old) that a broad discussion on future key studies seems of utmost necessity.
At generic level, the key issue is to develop molecular studies on major missing taxa even with limited sequences, such as longiventralis, biafranus, atratus, barmoiensis, lokoensis, several distinct phenotypes of the ansorgii-multifasciatus group (from the Congo Cuvette, its western belts in southeastern Gabon and southwestern Congo), and bifasciatus s.l. and spilargyreius s.l. for their Sahelian populations up to Nile basin of, then to start a comprehensive study with full mitochondrion and key nuclear data of as many taxa as possible, notably to check if lamottei is part of fasciolatus group or should stand alone (then deserve another monotypic generic name, with herein given diagnostic characters) or come closer to duboisi, despite the huge gap in distribution, and notably to fix if sangmelinensis group is to be fused with chevalieri group, or not, and if both, in turn, are separated enough from ansorgii group, or not.
At specific level, the key issue is to develop molecular studies to confirm upgrading previous subspecies to full species status (or not, then synonymizing junior taxa), like zenkeri, rathkei, nigricans, sheljuzhkoi, spillmanni. monroviae, schreiberi, samborskii, kassiapleuensis, zimiensis, tototaensis, josianae, azureus, puetzi, dauresi. More precisely (not taking into account presently un-named or un-identified populations)…
Finally, if herein hypothetical phylogenetic models are checked by molecular data, convergence of color or of shape characters should be discussed in details, such as for presumably unrelated bifasciatus and barmoiensis, unrelated bifasciatus and biafranus, potentially related longiventralis and togolensis ; besides the so-called gap in anterior neuromast patterns (open vs. closed) must be -at last- statistically corroborated on large samples of specimens (e.g., for longiventralis and for populations at suture zone of ansorgii and sexfasciatus groups in Gabon) and that gap must be phylogenetically explained (notably, whether longiventralis is the primitive form of the group, or not).

Indeed, many questions !

In total a very important and sensitive newsletter !
Hopefully a boost to our community and a spur to speed up knowledge progress on our (beloved) fishes !

Take care and enjoy the scientific or aquaristic complexity of killifish !

Do not hesitate to ask questions for future Newsletters.

Visit frequently the website www.killi-data.org !

Thank you for your support over the years.

With my kindest regards.

Jean

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