Parotocinclus arandai, a new species of hypoptopomatine catfish (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the upper rios Jucuruçu and Buranhém, States of Bahia and Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

Parotocinclus arandai, new species of the hypoptopomatine catfish, is described from small creeks in the upper rios Jucuruçu and Buranhém basins, at the border of Brazilian States of Bahia and Minas Gerais. Parotocinclus arandai is distinguished from all congeners from the Atlantic coastal basins of southeastern and eastern Brazil, except Parotocinclus bahiensis, by having the branched rays and interradial membranes of the pectoral and pelvic fins unpigmented in ventral view. The new species is distinguished from most Parotocinclus species, by having a small eye, 14.8-19.3 mm HL (except P. maculicauda and P. planicauda) and by the presence of a tuft of hypertrophied odontodes on the supraoccipital (except P. cristatus and P. cesarpintoi). Parotocinclus arandai is further distinguished by having an abdomen extensively naked, with a mosaic of few rounded platelets of irregular size and distributed over the pre-anal region (except P. bahiensis, P. minutus, P. spilosoma, P. cearensis, P. cesarpintoi and P. prata). A detailed comparison with congeners on eastern Brazil hydrographical region is provided, and information on the species habitat is given.

Keywords

• Neotropical
• Systematics
• Cascudinho
• Freshwater
• Hypoptopomatinae