Two new species of Leporinus Spix with a review of the blotched species ofthe Rio Orinoco system and redescription of Leporinus muyscorum Steindachner (Charciformes : Anostomidae)

A review of the blotched species of the genus Leporinus Spix from the Rio O rinoco system is provided and two new species, L. punctatus and L. ortomacu latus from the Rio Caura, Bolivar (Venezuela) are described. Leporinus punc tatus is a mid-sized species in which adults have three elongate midlateral brown blotches and a small brown blotch on base of each scale in the trunk . L. punctatus differs from the remaining species of Rio Orinoco leporids i n having an anterior, large mouth with 4 teeth on each side of upper and lo wer jaw, 38 or 39 lateral line scales, 5/I/5 series of transverse body scal es, and 20 to 24 gill. rakers. Leporinus ortomaculatus is a small-sized spe cies, adults of which have four large brown blotches along the midlateral l ine, and three vertically aligned pairs of small brown blotches, above and below the midlateral line. It is distinguished from the remaining Orinoco b asin Leporinus, in the combination of a small, subinferior mouth, 4 teeth o n each side of upper and tower jaw, 37 to 39 scales along the lateral line, 4/I/5 transversal series of scales, 16 to 20 gill rakers, and several brow n blotches on the trunk. L. punctatus is probably endemic to the Orinoco sy stem, while L. ortomaculatus is also found in the Rio Surumu, Roraima, Amaz on basin, Brazil.