A new species of cave-dwelling heptapterid catfish has been described from Central Brazil.
The fish, which was found in an underground stream in the Sao Bernado Cave, in the upper Tocatins basin in Central Brazil, South America, has been named Pimelodella spelaea.
It appears well-adapted to live underground and differs from epigean species by having reduced eyes and paler colouration, and was found at quite high population densities in the cave system, with around one fish every square metre.
For more details read the full paper: Trajano, E., Reis, RE., Bichuette, ME. (2004) - Pimelodella spelaea: A new cave catfish from Central Brazil, with data on ecology and evolutionary considerations (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae). Copeia, Vol. 2004, No. 2. pp. 315-325.