Ichthyologists from Brazil have described a new species of Australoheros cichlid from southern Brazil.
Felipe Ottoni and Morevy Cheffe name the new species from small tributaries of the upper das Antas River (part of the Jacui River drainage) Australoheros taura in the latest issue of the journal Spixiana.
The new species is distinguished from congeners by its long snout, predorsal length, caudal peduncle length, body and preorbital depths, number of caudal and precaudal vertebrae, dominant males pink to red, absence of any marks on the side of the head, a very narrow caudal-fin base spot, and the number of anal-fin rays.
According to the authors, Australoheros taura has been collected in small, shallow rivers with clear water and moderate water current. The bottom is formed by rocks, loose stones and sand, with few macrophytes.
Grass or other vegetation is usually present at the margins. Water may be cold in midwinter and air temperature is often below zero centigrade degrees.
The new species is named after the southern Brazilian idiomatic expression taura, meaning brave, because of its territorial and aggressive behavior and the adverse environment in which it occurs.
For more information, see the paper: Ottoni, FP and MM Cheffe (2009) A new species of Australoheros (Labroidei, Cichlidae, Cichlasomatinae) from the upper rio das Antas, laguna dos Patos Sys- tem, southern Brazil. Spixiana 32, pp.153"159.