Tiny suckermouth catfish discovered in Brazil

Scientists have discovered a new suckermouth catfish in the Rio Paraíba do Sul basin in southeastern Brazil. The species, named Pareiorhina hyptiorhachis, is described in the journal Zookeys. Like other armored catfishes, Pareiorhina hyptiorhachis is thought to feed on algae, small invertebrates, and detritus.

At 3 to 3.5 cm in length, Pareiorhina hyptiorhachis is on the small end of the spectrum for catfish, which range in size from 1 cm-long Aspredinidae and Trichomycteridae species to the monster Wels catfish (Silurus glanis), which can attain a length of 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) and weigh more than 100 kg (220 lbs), and the giant Mekong catfish (Pangasianodon gigas), which can exceed 3.2 meters (10.5 feet) and weigh up to nearly 300 kg (660 lbs).

0710catfish — Photo by Gabriel de Souza da Costa e Silva

CITATION: Gabriel da Costa e Silva, Fábio Roxo, Claudio Oliveira. Pareiorhina hyptiorhachis, a new catfish species from Rio Paraíba do Sul basin, southeastern Brazil (Siluriformes, Loricariidae). ZooKeys, 2013; 315: 65 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.315.5307

This article was written for Mongabay.com and re-posted on Focusing on Wildlife.