, 2008 and Birindelli, 2010). Doradidae often is separated into two major groups, one with simple barbels and more or less depressed head, and the other with fimbriate barbels and relatively deep head (Kner, 1853, Sabaj and Ferraris, 2003 and Birindelli and Sousa, 2010). Ribociclib nmr Doradids with simple barbels are non-monophyletic and include the most basal taxa according to both morphological and molecular cladistic analyses summarized below. In the first cladistic analysis of intrafamilial relationships Higuchi (1992, unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation; cladogram and synapomorphies published in Pinna de, 1998) used morphological

characteristics to support the monophyly of the family, and recovered Wertheimeria and Franciscodoras, respectively, as successive sister groups to all other doradids. For

the remaining taxa Higuchi (1992) recognized three monophyletic subfamilies in an unresolved trichotomy: “Doradinae”, “Platydoradinae”, and Astrodoradinae, the lattermost formally named and diagnosed in Higuchi et al. (2007). Moyer et al. (2004) subsequently used mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data to examine phylogenetic relationships among doradids. Their topology conflicted with the supra-generic classification proposed by Higuchi (1992), however, their molecular analysis did not include several key genera (e.g., Centrochir, Franciscodoras, Kalyptodoras and Wertheimeria). Only one of the intra-familial groups proposed by Higuchi (1992), Astrodoradinae, selleckchem was supported as monophyletic, and Astrodoradinae and Acanthodoras were recovered as deep lineages forming a basal trichotomy with a third group comprising all other doradids in their analysis. In a separate cladistic study based on morphology Birindelli (2006 unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation) recovered a new topology wherein Kalyptodoras and Wertheimeria formed a basal trichotomy with a clade containing all other doradid genera. Birindelli’s (2006) study supported Higuchi’s (1992) subfamilial

group “Platydoradinae” as sister to Astrodoradinae + Doradinae. Later, Birindelli (2010, unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation) expanded his original study to include all genera of Auchenipteridae plus several additional catfish families as outgroups. His VAV2 new study recovered Kalyptodoras + Wertheimeria as basal, sister to Franciscodoras + a clade containing the remaining doradid taxa analyzed. Within the remaining taxa, a clade composed of Acanthodoras, Agamyxis and two genera of Astrodoradinae was sister to a trichotomy formed by Centrochir, Platydoras, and a clade subdivided into three informally named tribes: “Pterodoradini” sister to “Rhinodoradini” + “Doradini”. Finally, Sousa (2010, Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation) used morphology to investigate phylogenetic relationships of Astrodoradinae.