A new species of dogtooth characin has been described from the Xingu River drainage (the Xingu River is a southern tributary of the Amazon River) by a Brazilian scientist.
The description of the new species, Cynopotamus xinguano, is published by Narcio Menezes in a recent issue of the journal Zootaxa.
Cynopotamus xinguano is named for the Xinguano, an Amerindian tribe living in the Xingu River drainage, and can be distinguished from other members of the genus in having ii, 9 dorsal-fin rays, 91"125 perforated lateral line scales, 17"21 horizontal rows of scales below lateral line, 10"11 gill rakers on first branchial arch, wide black humeral spot, and first pleural rib and opening anterior to it entirely covered by fibres of the obliquus superioris muscle, with the secong pleural rib and obliquus inferioris muscle visible.
The new species is only known from the middle to upper tributaries of the Xingu River drainage.
For more information, see the paper: Menezes, NA (2007) A new species of Cynopotamus Valenciennes, 1849 (Characiformes, Characidae) with a key to the species of the genus. Zootaxa 1635, pp. 55"61.