A new species of tetra from the Hyphessobrycon genus has been described from a river in Peru.
The new species of characid was discovered in the Rio Madre de Dios in Peru and has just been described as Hyphessobrycon nigricinctus by Zaeske and Gery in the German language journal Zoologische Abhandlungen.
The new fish is believed to be a member of the Hyphessobrycon heterorhabdus group.
Gery and Zaerske provide say that the new tetra can be told apart from other members of the group on the basis of a number of taxonomic characters:
"The differs from all other species of this group by (1) a relatively deep body (depth 2.65-3.00 times in SL), (2) seven to eight scales above the lateral line, (3) a narrow, long maxilla with six to eight conical to tricuspid teeth, reaching up to the pupil, (4) anal fin with 22 to 26 branched fin rays, (5) males with hooklets in distal part of anterior fin rays, (6) 33-34 scales in a longitudinal line, (7) lateral line relatively short, with seven pored scales.
"The colour in live is also characteristic: (8) a deep black lateral band from the gill cover to the end of the middle caudal fin rays on two scales, (9) adipose deep red, (10) upper part of the iris also deep red and (11) a remarkable sexualdichromatism (males with especially deep red margins of anal, caudal, dorsal and pelvic fins, females without red fin margins)."
For more information see the paper: Zaeske, A & J Gry (2004) - Hyphessobrycon nigricinctus sp. n. - ein neuer Salmler (Teleostei: Characiformes: Characidae) aus dem Stromgebeit des ro Madre de Dios in Peru. Zoologische Abhandlungen (Dresden) 54: 31-38.