''Pituna'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Rivulidae The Rivulidae are a family (biology), family of killifishes in the order (biology), order Cyprinodontiformes. They are commonly known as rivulids, South American killifish or New World killifish. The latter names are slightly misleading, however, ...

. These annual

killifish A killifish is any of various oviparous (egg-laying) cyprinodontiform fish, including families Aplocheilidae, Pantanodontidae, Cyprinodontidae, Fundulidae, Nothobranchiidae, Profundulidae, Aphaniidae and Valenciidae. All together, there ar ...

are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to seasonal pools, swamps and lagoons in the Araguaia–

Tocantins Tocantins () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is the newest state, formed in 1988 and encompassing what had formerly been the northern two-fifths of the state of Goiás. Tocantins covers and had an estimated population of 1,496,880 in 2014 ...

, Xingu, uppermost

Paraná Paraná, Paranã or Parana may refer to: Geology * Paraná Basin, a sedimentary basin in South America Places In Argentina *Paraná, Entre Ríos, a city * Paraná Department, a part of Entre Ríos Province In Brazil *Paraná (state), a state ...

and

Paranaíba Paranaíba is the easternmost Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Its population was 42,276 (2020) and its area is 5,402.778 km2. Geography Climate References

Mu ...

river basins in Brazil. Most are from savanna regions, but ''P. xinguensis'' is from the

Amazon rainforest The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...

. They are small fish, up to in

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of fish anatomy, their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is ...

. Males are overall brownish with a spotted greenish-golden,

turquoise Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula . It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone for millennia due to its hue. The robi ...

or blue pattern, and a blue-black spot at the operculum. Females are far duller.

Species

''Pituna'' and the closely related ''

Maratecoara ''Maratecoara'' is a genus of killifish in the family Rivulidae. These annual killifish are endemic to seasonal pools, swamps and lagoons in the upper Araguaia–Tocantins and middle Xingu river basins in Brazil. Most are from savanna regions, ...

'', ''

Papiliolebias ''Papiliolebias'' is a genus of fish in the family Rivulidae. These annual killifish are endemic to seasonal pools in the Paraguay and upper Madeira river basins in northwestern Argentina, central and southeastern Bolivia, and western Paraguay.Ni ...

'', '' Plesiolebias'' and '' Stenolebias'' form a

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

, Plesiolebiasini. There are currently six recognized species in ''Pituna'': * '' Pituna brevirostrata'' W. J. E. M. Costa, 2007 * '' Pituna compacta'' ( G. S. Myers, 1927) * '' Pituna obliquoseriata'' W. J. E. M. Costa, 2007 * '' Pituna poranga'' W. J. E. M. Costa, 1989 * '' Pituna schindleri'' W. J. E. M. Costa, 2007 * '' Pituna xinguensis'' W. J. E. M. Costa & D. T. B. Nielsen, 2007

References

Rivulidae Freshwater fish genera {{Rivulidae-stub