A new species of amblycipitid catfish from China has been described by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The new fish, which has been named Xiurenbagrus gigas, was found in the vicinity of Duan, Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region, southern China, and has just been described by Yahui Zhao, Jiahu Lan and Chunguang Zhang in the latest edition of Ichthyological Research.
The new fish is quite different to other amblycipitid cats, but thought to be similar to X. xiurenensis, due to the presence of a couple of patches of vomerine teeth.
This new cat though, is now the largest known fish in the family and is distinguished from others by its bigger head, lower adipose fin and longer pelvic fins.
For more details on the new catfish read the paper: YahuiZhao, JiahuLan and ChunguangZhang (2004) - A new species of amblycipitid catfish, Xiurenbagrus gigas (Teleostei: Siluriformes), from Guangxi, China. Ichthyological Research, Volume 51, Number 3.