''Bedotia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Bedotiidae of fishes

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found else ...

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric ...

Taxonomy

This genus is

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gr ...

. Little is known regarding

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups ...

interrelationships of the numerous populations of ''Bedotia'' of eastern Madagascar, and the genus is in need of systematic revision. One author synonymized ''B. longianalis'' and ''B. tricolor'' with ''B. geayi'' with no justification. It is apparent that several species of ''Bedotia'' exist, although many of these are new to science and await

description Description is the pattern of narrative development that aims to make vivid a place, object, character, or group. Description is one of four rhetorical modes (also known as ''modes of discourse''), along with exposition, argumentation, and narra ...

, whereas the taxonomic status of many nominal species remains uncertain. A 2004 study supported three major, more or less geographically distinct,

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English ter ...

s of ''Bedotia'', one comprising species with distributions ranging from mid- to southeastern Madagascar (''B. madagascariensis'', ''B. geayi'', and ''B. tricolor'', plus four

undescribed species In taxonomy, an undescribed taxon is a taxon (for example, a species) that has been discovered, but not yet formally described and named. The various Nomenclature Codes specify the requirements for a new taxon to be validly described and named. U ...

), another including species restricted to eastern drainages north of the

Masoala Peninsula Masoala National Park, in northeast Madagascar, is the largest of the island's protected areas. Most of the park is situated in Sava Region and a part in Analanjirofo. Created in 1997, the park protects 2,300 square kilometres of rainforest and ...

(''B. marojejy'', plus four undescribed species), and a third comprising species with distributions extending from the Masoala Peninsula southward to the Ivoloina River (''B. longianalis'' and ''B. masoala'', plus three undescribed species). These three clades of ''Bedotia'' are not readily separated based on coloration or pigmentation pattern.

Species

There are currently nine recognized species in this genus: * '' Bedotia albomarginata'' Sparks & Rush, 2005 * '' Bedotia alveyi'' C. C. Jones, W. L. Smith & Sparks, 2010 (Makira rainbowfish) * '' Bedotia geayi'' Pellegrin, 1907 (Red-tailed silverside) * '' Bedotia leucopteron'' Loiselle & D. M. Rodríguez, 2007 * '' Bedotia longianalis'' Pellegrin, 1914 * '' Bedotia madagascariensis''

Regan The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...

, 1903 * '' Bedotia marojejy'' Stiassny & I. J. Harrison, 2000 * '' Bedotia masoala'' Sparks, 2001 * '' Bedotia tricolor'' Pellegrin, 1932 Additionally, several

have been rated by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

: * ''Bedotia'' sp. nov. 'Ankavia-Ankavanana' * ''Bedotia'' sp. nov. 'Bemarivo' * ''Bedotia'' sp. nov. 'Betampona' * ''Bedotia'' sp. nov. 'Garassa' * ''Bedotia'' sp. nov. 'Lazana' * ''Bedotia'' sp. nov. 'Mahanara' * ''Bedotia'' sp. nov. 'Manombo' * ''Bedotia'' sp. nov. 'Namorona' * ''Bedotia'' sp. nov. 'Nosivola' * ''Bedotia'' sp. nov. 'Sambava'

Description

''Bedotia'' species are all under 10 centimetres (4 in) SL, extremely colorful, elongate, and somewhat laterally compressed atherinoid fishes that exhibit varying degrees of

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

. Except for coloration and pigmentation, Bedotia are morphologically conservative fishes. All ''Bedotia'' are sexually dimorphic, with males exhibiting larger adult size, enhanced coloration and pigmentation, as well as pronounced development of the unpaired fins.

Ecology

''Bedotia'' is exclusively freshwater, and members are found in small to medium-sized forested rivers and streams, and to a lesser degree in swamps and marshes, along the eastern slope of Madagascar.

Etymology

The genus is named after the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

Maurice Bedot (1859-1927) who was director of the ''

Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève The Natural History Museum of Geneva (in French language, French: ') is a natural history museum in Geneva, Switzerland. Louis Jurine’s collections of Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and Hemiptera are held by the museum. Other displays ...

'' where the type of ''B. madagascarensis'' was lodged and who was editor of ''Revue Suisse de Zoologie'' in which Regan's

was published in 1903.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q141320 Bedotiinae Endemic fauna of Madagascar