Taxonomy
Species are fundamental units of ecology and evolution. Both the conservation and biological understanding of ecosystems are hindered by imprecise taxonomies, undescribed species and mismatches between our systematic and phylogenetic understanding of life. Resolved taxonomies are critical to the accurate interpretation and consistent communication of any ecological or evolutionary pattern spanning large spatial and temporal scales. Thorough taxonomic research strives to highlight intriguing aspects of organismal morphology, ecology
and biogeography, and species-specific observations are prerequisite to large-scale ecological and evolutionary hypotheses. Most of my taxonomic research focuses on the Loricaridae, which is a highly diverse family still needing considerable taxonomic attention. To foster fish taxonomic research more broadly, I regularly and freely share the specimens, tissues, images and data that I collect during my field work, and I work to resolve taxonomic issues in a wide range of other groups. In addition to work on general field guides, I have described species or am currently researching the fish families Auchenipteridae, Crenuchidae, and Heptapteridae.
Genus-Level Descriptions & Revisions
Siluriformes, Hypostominae:
Genus Avalithoxus Lujan, Armbruster & Lovejoy 2018
- taxonomic revision and molecular phylogeny (pdf)
Genus Exastilithoxus Lujan, Armbruster & Lovejoy 2018
- taxonomic revision and molecular phylogeny (pdf)
Genus Lithoxus Lujan, Armbruster & Lovejoy 2018
- taxonomic revision and molecular phylogeny (pdf)
Genus Paralithoxus Lujan, Armbruster & Lovejoy 2018
- taxonomic revision and molecular phylogeny (pdf)
Genus Panaque Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889
- taxonomic revision (pdf)
- molecular phylogeny (pdf)
Genus Panaqolus Isbrücker & Schraml 2001
- taxonomic revision and molecular phylogeny (pdf)
Genus Chaetostoma Tschudi 1846
- taxonomic revision and molecular phylogeny (pdf)
Genus Cordylancistrus Isbrücker 1980
- taxonomic revision and molecular phylogeny (pdf)
Genus Pseudoqolus Lujan, Cramer, Covain, Fisch-Muller & López-Fernández 2017
- new genus description and molecular phylogeny (pdf)
Genus Yaluwak Lujan & Armbruster
- new genus description and molecular phylogeny (pdf)
Subgenus Panafilus Lujan, Cramer, Covain, Fisch-Muller & López-Fernández 2017
- new subgenus description and molecular phylogeny (pdf)
Subgenus Panaqoco Lujan, Cramer, Covain, Fisch-Muller & López-Fernández 2017
- new subgenus description and molecular phylogeny (pdf)
Subgenus Panaqolus Lujan, Cramer, Covain, Fisch-Muller & López-Fernández 2017
- new subgenus description and molecular phylogeny (pdf)
Bivalvia, Dreissenidae:
Genus Rheodreissena Geda, Lujan, Perkins, Abernethy, Sabaj & Gangloff 2018
- new genus description and molecular phylogeny (pdf)
New Species Descriptions
Siluriformes, Hypostominae:
Hemiancistrus subviridis Werneke, Sabaj, Lujan, & Armbruster 2005 (photo, pdf)
Baryancistrus demantoides Werneke, Sabaj, Lujan, & Armbruster 2005 (photo, pdf)
Hemiancistrus guahiborum Werneke, Armbruster, Lujan, & Taphorn 2005 (photo, pdf)
Pseudancistrus yekuana Lujan, Armbruster, & Sabaj 2007 (photo, pdf)
Pseudancistrus pectegenitor Lujan, Armbruster, & Sabaj 2007 (photo, pdf)
Hypostomus rhantos Armbruster, Tansey, & Lujan 2007 (photo, pdf)
Hypancistrus contradens Armbruster, Lujan, & Taphorn 2007 (photo, pdf)
Hypancistrus lunaorum Armbruster, Lujan, & Taphorn 2007 (photo, pdf)
Hypancistrus furunculus Armbruster, Lujan, & Taphorn 2007 (photo, pdf)
Hypancistrus debilittera Armbruster, Lujan, & Taphorn 2007 (photo, pdf)
Lithoxus jantjae Lujan 2008 (photo, pdf)
Panaque bathyphilus Lujan & Chamon 2008 (photo, pdf)
Hemiancistrus pankimpuju Lujan & Chamon 2008 (photo, pdf)
Panaque armbrusteri Lujan, Hidalgo, & Stewart 2010 (photo, pdf)
Panaque schaeferi Lujan, Hidalgo, & Stewart 2010 (photo, pdf)
Panaque titan Lujan, Hidalgo, & Stewart 2010 (photo, pdf)
Etsaputu relictum Lujan, Armbruster, & Rengifo 2011 (photo, pdf)
Micracanthicus vandragti Lujan & Armbruster 2011 (photo, pdf)
Soromonichthys stearleyi Lujan & Armbruster 2011 (photo, pdf)
Pseudolithoxus kelsorum Lujan & Birindelli 2011 (photo, pdf)
Panaqolus albivermis Lujan, Steele, & Velasquez 2013 (photo, pdf)
Limatulichthys nasarcus Londoño-Burbano, Lefebvre, & Lujan 2014 (photo, pdf)
Chaetostoma bifurcum Lujan, Meza-Vargas, Astudillo-Clavijo, Barriga-Salazar, & López-Fernández 2015 (photo, pdf)
Chaetostoma trimaculineum Lujan, Meza-Vargas, Astudillo-Clavijo, Barriga-Salazar, & López-Fernández 2015 (photo, pdf)
Andeancistrus eschwartzae Lujan, Meza-Vargas, & Barriga-Salazar 2015 (photo, pdf)
Peckoltia wernekei Armbruster & Lujan 2016 (photo, pdf)
Corymbophanes ameliae Lujan, Armbruster, Werneke, Teixera, & Lovejoy 2019 (photo, pdf)
Yaluwak primus Lujan, Armbruster, & Werneke 2019 (photo, pdf)
Siluriformes, Auchenipteridae:
Gelanoglanis travieso Rengifo, Lujan, Taphorn, & Petry 2008 (photo, pdf)
Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae:
Ammoglanis natgeorum Henschel, Lujan, & Baskin 2020 (photo, pdf)
Characiformes, Crenuchidae:
Characidium amaila Lujan, Agudelo-Zamora, Taphorn, Booth, & López-Fernández 2013 (photo, pdf)
Characidium duplicatum Armbruster, Lujan, & Bloom 2021 (photo, pdf)
Characidium wangyapoik Armbruster, Lujan, & Bloom 2021 (photo, pdf)
Species Redescriptions
Siluriformes, Hypostominae:
Andeancistrus platycephalus (Boulenger 1898) (photo, pdf)
Chaetostoma breve Regan 1904 (photo, pdf)
Chaetostoma carrioni (Norman 1935) (photo, pdf)
Chaetostoma dermorhynchum Boulenger 1887 (photo, pdf)
Chaetostoma microps Günther 1864 (photo, pdf)
Panaque cochliodon (Steindachner 1879) (photo, pdf)
Panaque nigrolineatus (Peters 1877) (photo, pdf)
Panaque suttonorum Schultz 1944 (photo, pdf)
Characiformes, Crenuchidae:
Characidium crandelli Steindachner 1915 (photo, pdf)
Characidium declivirostre Steindachner 1915 (photo, pdf)
New Subspecies Descriptions
(all photos)
Siluriformes, Hypostominae:
Panaque nigrolineatus laurafabianae Ortega-Lara & Lujan 2020