Ichthyologists from Brazil and the USA have described a new genus and species of cheirodontine tetra from the Amazon River drainage.
Publishing the description of Amazonspinther dalmata in the latest issue of the journal Neotropical Ichthyology, Cristina Buhrnheim, Tiago Carvalho, Luiz Malabarba and Stanley Weitzman distinguish the new genus and species from other characid tetras in the subfamily Cheirodontinae in having three black blotches on the base of the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins, the anteriormost proximal radial of the anal fin with an anteriorly extended lamina entering the abdominal cavity, an extremely elongate caudal peduncle, 7"9 ventral procurrent caudal-fin rays, and the hemal spines of only posterior one, two, or sometimes three caudal vertebrae directly articulating with the ventral procurrent caudal-fin rays.
The name of the new genus is comes from the Amazon drainage and the Greek spinther (=sparks) in reference to both the closely related genus Spintherobolus and to the appearance of the yellow neuromasts of the head.
The specific name comes from the Portuguese word dalmata, in allusion to the color pattern of Dalmatian dogs, which resembles the color of this species.
Amazonspinther dalmata is known from small streams in the middle Purus river and middle and lower Madeira river drainages.
According to the authors, he type locality was characterized by possessing slow current, muddy substratum, and silty, turbid water. There was abundant riparian vegetation, and the maximum depth was 1.3 m.
For more information, see the paper: Buhrnheim, CM, TP Carvalho, LR Malabarba and SH Weitzman, 2008. A new genus and species of characid fish from the Amazon basin - the recognition of a relictual lineage of characid fishes (Ostariophysi: Cheirodontinae: Cheirodontini). Neotropical Ichthyology 6, pp. 663"678.