A new species of the genus Pimelodus La Cépède, 1803 from the rio Iguaçu basin and a reappraisal of Pimelodus ortmanni Haseman, 1911 from the rio Paraná system, Brazil (Ostariophysi: Siluriformes: Pimelodidae)

Abstract

A new species, Pimelodus britskii, is described from the rio Iguaçu in the rio Paraná drainage, on the border of Paraná and Santa Catarina states, Brazil. Specimens of this species were wrongly included in the type series of Pimelodus ortmanni. Pimelodus britskii is distinguished from its congeners by color pattern, having circular dark brown blotches usually smaller than one orbital diameter, regularly and scattered along the trunk. Differs from P. ortmanni by the following characters: body depth at posterior cleithral process greater than head length; lips not prominent; and maxillary barbel reaching or surpassing vertical drawn through median of adipose fin. Pimelodus britskii represents the second species of the genus Pimelodus from the rio Iguaçu basin.

Keywords

• Freshwater fishes
• Southern Brazil
• Taxonomy, rio Iguaçu
• Pimelodus britskii