Tag Archives: New catfish species


New catfish, tetra and cichlid species

This post will introduce a number of new catfish species, a couple of tetras and an a few cichlid species.

Let’s start with the cichlid species. The species known as Apistogramma sp Mamore have been scientifically described by Wolfgang Staeck and Ingo Schindler and named A. erythrura. It is a small species and the largest speciemen that have been found so far was 30.8 mm SL. (just over 1.2 inch). It seems to feed on small invertebrates. Thy can be found in waters with the following conditions pH 5.2–6.4; electrical conductivity <10–20 μS/cm; total and temporary hardness < l°dH; water temperature 25.1–31.0°C. They are cave spawners and can be bred in aquariums. The male guards a territory which can contain several females. The females guard the fry.

Scientists Felipe Ottoni and Wilson Costa from Brazil have in the latest issue of the journal Vertebrate Zoology described nine new species of Australoheros cichlids from southern Brazil[1].

Australoheros autrani, A. Barbosae, A. ipatinguensis, A. macacuensis, A. muriae, A. paraibae, A.s robustus, A. saquarema

New tetras

Two new species of flag tetra have been described[2]. Both species originates in Venezuela. The new species Hyphessobrycon paucilepis and H. tuyensis was described by Carlos García-Alzate, César Román-Valencia and Donald Taphorn in the latest issue of the journal Vertebrate Zoology. At the same time they recognize three other valid species: H. diancistrus, H. fernandezi and H. sovichthys.

Hyphessobrycon paucilepis originates from the small drainages in Lara state, northern Venezuela. H. tuyensis from the Tuy River drainage in northern Venezuela

New catfish species

Brazilian scientists Héctor Alcaraz, Weferson da Graça and Oscar Shibatta have in the latest issue of the journal Neotropical Ichthyology named a new species of bumblebee catfish from Paraguay Microglanis carlae as attribute to ichthyologist Carla Pavanelli[3]. The species is found in moderately fast flowing water in Paraguay River drainage.

Brazilian ichthyologists Luisa Sarmento-Soares and Ronaldo Martins-Pinheiro have described three new Tatia species bringing the total number of described species up to twelve[4]. The three new species described are T. caxiuanensis (named after the Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã.), T. meesi (named after Gerloff Mees) and T. nigra (named after its dark color)

T. caxiuanensis is found in the Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, T. meesi in Essequibo River drainage in Guyana and T. nigra in the Uatumã and Trombetas river drainages.

Marcelo Rocha, Renildo de Oliveira and Lúcia Py-Daniel have described a new Gladioglanis catfish, Gladioglanis anacanthus, which can be found in the Aripuanã River in central Brazil[5].

Lúcia Py-Daniel and Ilana Fichberg have described a new whiptail catfish, Rineloricaria daraha. This new species is found in the Rio Daráa in the Rio Negro drainage which have given the species its name[6].


[1] Ottoni, FP and WJEM Costa (2008) Taxonomic revision of the genus Australoheros Rícan & Kullander, 2006 (Teleostei: Cichlidae) with descriptions of nine new species from southeastern Brazil. Vertebrate Zoology 58, pp. 207–232.

[2] García-Alzate, CA, C Román-Valencia and DC Taphorn (2008) Revision of the Hyphessobrycon heterorhabdus-group (Teleostei: Characiformes: Characidae), with description of two new species from Venezuela. Vertebrate Zoology 58, pp. 139–157.

[3] Alcaraz, HSV, WJ da Graça and OA Shibatta (2008) Microglanis carlae, a new species of bumblebee catfish (Siluriformes: Pseudopimelodidae) from the río Paraguay basin in Paraguay. Neotropical Ichthyology 6, pp. 425–432.

[4] Sarmento-Soares, LM and RF Martins-Pinheiro (2008) A systematic revision of Tatia (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae: Centromochlinae). Neotropical Ichthyology 6, pp.

[5] Rocha, MS, RR de Oliveira and LHR Py-Daniel (2008) A new species of Gladioglanis Ferraris and Mago-Leccia from rio Aripuanã, Amazonas, Brazil (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae). Neotropical Ichthyology 6, pp. 433–438..

[6] Py-Daniel, LHR and I Fichberg (2008) A new species of Rineloricaria (Siluriformes: Loricariidae: Loricariinae) from rio Daraá, rio Negro basin, Amazon, Brazil. Neotropical Ichthyology 6, pp. 339–346.