Area of general interest: Taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of teleost fishes
Main group of interest: Cyprinodontiformes.
Education
Ph.D.Biology (Zoology), Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro/ Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro: 2014 - 2018. Thesis: “Monophyletism and phylogenetic position of Anablepidae Garman, 1895 among the families of the suborder Cyprinodontoidei (Atherinomorpha: Cyprinodontiformes), based on morphological and molecular data”.
MSc, (Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (Institut of Biology), 2012-2014. Dissertation: “Filogenia molecular da subfamília Cynolebiasiinae (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae)”.
B.S. in Biology (Zoology), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (Institute of Biology), 2012. Dissertation: Filogenia Molecular do Complexo de Espécies Hypsolebias magnificus (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae).
Publications:
Papers published in scientific journals:
Costa, W.J.E.M., P.F. Amorim & G.N. Aranha. 2014. Species limits and DNA barcodes in Nematolebias, a genus of seasonal killifishes threatened with extinction from the Atlantic Forest of south-eastern Brazil, with description of a new species (Teleostei: Rivulidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 24(3): 225-236.
Costa, W.J.E.M. & P.F. Amorim. 2014. Integrative taxonomy and conservation of seasonal killifishes, Xenurolebias (Teleostei: Rivulidae), and the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Systematics and Biodiversity, 12(3): 350-365.
Costa, W.J.E.M., P.F. Amorim & P.H.N. Bragança. 2014. A new miniature killifish of the genus Melanorivulus (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) from the Xingu river drainage, Brazilian Amazon. Vertebrate Zoology, 64(2): 193-197.
Costa, W.J.E.M., P. F. Amorim & P.H.N. Bragança. 2014. Species limits and phylogenetic relationships of red-finned cryptic species of the seasonal killifish genus Hypsolebias from the Brazilian semi-arid Caatinga (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 52(1): 52-58. doi: 10.1111/jzs.12041.
Costa, W.J.E.M. & P. F. Amorim. 2013. Delimitation of cryptic species of Notholebias, a genus of seasonal miniature killifishes threatened with extinction from the Atlantic Forest of south-eastern Brazil (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 24(1): 63-72.
Costa, W.J.E.M., P.H.N. Bragança & P. F. Amorim. 2013. Five new species of the killifish genus Anablepsoides from the Brazilian Amazon (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae). Vertebrate Zoology, 63(3): 283-293.
Costa, W.J.E.M., P.F. Amorim & J.L.O. Mattos. 2012. Species delimitation in annual killifishes from the Brazilian Caatinga, the Hypsolebias flavicaudatus complex (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae): implications for taxonomy and conservation. Systematics and Biodiversity,10(1):71-91.
Bragança, P.H.N., P.F. Amorim & W.J.E.M. Costa. 2012. Geographic distribution, habitat, colour pattern variability and synonymy of the Amazon killifish Melanorivulus schuncki (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 23(1):51-55.
Ottoni, F. P., Bragança, P. H. N., Amorim, P. F., Gama, C. S. 2012. A new species of Laetacara from the northern Brazil coastal floodplains (Teleostei: Cichlidae). Vertebrate Zoology,, 62(2):181-188.
Costa, W.J.E.M. & P.F. Amorim. 2011. A new annual species of the Hypsolebias flavicaudatus complex from the São Francisco River basin, Brazilian Caatinga (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae). Vertebrate Zoology, 61(1):99-104.
Papers Presented at Professional Meetings
AMORIM, P. F. . Delimitação de Espécies por Sequências de DNA Mitocondrial em Peixes Anuais do Complexo Hypsolebias flavicaudatus (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae). 2011. XXXIII Jornada Giulio Massarani de Iniciação Científica Artística e Cultural.
AMORIM, P. F. . Estudo Comparativo de Estruturas Osteológicas da Mandíbula e do Suspensório Mandibular de Espécies de Diferentes Linhagens do Gênero Orestias Valenciennes, 1839 (Cyprinodontiformes: Cyprinodontidae). 2010. XXXII Jornada Giulio Massarani de Iniciação Científica Artística e Cultural.
AMORIM, P. F. . Estudo Osteológico de Orestias ispi Lauzanne, 1981, do Lago Titicaca (Cyprinodontiformes: Cyprinodontidae). 2009. XXXI Jornada Giulio Massarani de Iniciação Científica Artística e Cultural.
Field Experience ( all include fish collections)
Brasil (2008 – present); over 40 field trips to Atlantic forest, Caatinga, Cerrado and Amazon regions
Language skills
Speaking and reading knowledge of Portuguese, English and Spanish
Technical Skills
Expertise in dissections and preparation of cleared and stained material of small vertebrates for osteological studies.
Expertise in photography of fishes.
Familiarity with several phylogenetic analysis programs.
Familiarity with image processing programs.
Familiarity with map generation programs.
Participation in projects:
Projeto no CNPq de cadastro 6598 “Sistemática e Biogeografia de peixes Teleósteos”. Setembro 2004 até dias atuais.
DNA-barcoding aplocheiloid killifishes, vinculado ao programa internacional Fish Barcode of Life coordenado por Paul Herbert, Universidade de Guelph (http://www.fishbol.org/). 2009 até os dias atuais.
“O problema de delimitação de espécies em estimativas de biodiversidade: combinando métodos para avaliar congruência e eficácia” do Edital Pensa rio 2010, FAPERJ. 2010 até dias atuais.
"Avaliando a biodiversidade de savanas tropicais: delimitação de espécies". 2011 até os dias atuais.
Experience in academic classes
Invited professor of “General and Aplied Ichthyology- Laboratory Techniques”, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 2012 and 2013.
Invited professor of “Teaching Techniques in Zoology - Techniques of Collecting and Preserving Fishes", Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of the Satate of the Rio de Janeiro, 2013 and 2014.
Social Projects
Conservação na escola: protegendo o mundo do peixe-de-nuvem [Conservation at the school: protecting the cloud-fish world], directed to school children of poor tropical regions of South America and Africa (primarily Brazil and Mozambique), to teach about diversity and conservation of cloud-fishes (endangered aplocheiloid killifishes), from 2012 to the present.