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Paroaria baeri(Crimson-fronted Cardinal) is a poorly known and uncommon species, inhabiting low vegetation growing along the edges of water bodies in central Brazil. Having collected new specimens along the Rio Araguaia, we revised the taxonomy of this species by examining plumage coloration and morphometric data of 36 specimens housed in Brazilian, European, and North American museums. This sample encompasses all known specimens available. Measurements of the two currently recognized subspecies overlap widely, but their plumage coloration is clearly diagnostic. Furthermore, they are distinct in the absence (Paroaria baeri baeri) and presence (Paroaria baeri xinguensis) of sexual dichromatism, and are separated by a sharp geographic barrier. These observations are consistent with the lack of gene flow between both taxa, and we propose to consider them as independent species,P. baeri, found on the Rio Araguaia, andP. xinguensis, found on the Rio Xingu. Both taxa inhabit shrubbery formations and low riparian forests along river-created habitats,P. baeribeing endemic to the Cerrado andP. xinguensisbeing endemic to the Amazon. New information on the range, habitat, breeding, and conservation status ofP. baeriis presented. We also present the first records ofP. xinguensissince the collection of its type series in the 1940s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of morphological and molecular data of Tetragonopterus species collected in the Rio Araguaia basin allows the recognition of two undescribed species that are presented in this article. These species are distinguished from their congeners ( Tetragonopterus anostomus, Tetragonopterus argenteus, Tetragonopterus carvalhoi, Tetragonopterus chalceus and Tetragonopterus rarus) by characters related to the number and morphology of the teeth, the numbers of gill rakers on the upper and lower limbs of the first gill arch, the number of predorsal scales and the overall colour pattern. In addition, the analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences identified an accentuated genetic distance between these two new species and their congeners. A discussion of the phylogenetic relationships within Tetragonopterus is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]