The Laterosensory Canal System in Epigean and Subterranean Ituglanis (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae), With Comments About Troglomorphism and the Phylogeny of the Genus

The laterosensory system is a mechanosensory modality involved in many aspects of fish biology and behavior. Laterosensory perception may be crucial for individual survival, especially in habitats where other sensory modalities are generally useless, such as the permanently aphotic subterranean environment. In the present study, we describe the laterosensory canal system of epigean and subterranean species of the genus Ituglanis (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae). With seven independent colonizations of the subterranean environment in a limited geographical range coupled with a high diversity of epigean forms, the genus is an excellent model for the study of morphological specialization to hypogean life. The comparison between epigean and subterranean species reveals a trend toward reduction of the laterosensory canal system in the subterranean species, coupled with higher intraspecific variability and asymmetry. This trend is mirrored in other subterranean fishes and in species living in different confined spaces, like the interstitial environment. Therefore, we propose that the reduction of the laterosensory canal system should be regarded as a troglomorphic (= cave-related) character for subterranean fishes. We also comment about the patterns of the laterosensory canal system in trichomycterids and use the diversity of this system among species of Ituglanis to infer phylogenetic relationships within the genus. J. Morphol. 278:4-28, 2017. ©© 2016 Wiley Periodicals,Inc.