Brazilian scientists have described a new species of miniature loricariid catfish in the genus Hisonotus from southern Brazil.
The new species is named Hisonotus armatus by Tiago Carvalho, Pablo Lehmann, Edson Pereira, and Roberto Reis in the most recent issue of the journal Copeia.
Hisonotus armatus is distinguished from congeners in having the anterior margin of the snout completely covered by odontodes; large bony plates in the abdominal median series, usually comprising one series of plates between the lateral abdominal plates; and a series of light hyaline spots, forming a vertical light bar on the caudal fin.
The new species is named after the odontodes covering the snout (from the Latin armatus, meaning armed). It is known from the Laguna dos Patos system from the southernmost Jaguaro River drainage, to the Jacu and Taquari river drainages in southern Brazil.
According to the authors, his species inhabits slow to median flowing watercourses, with clear to brown waters over sandy bottom and is found in marginal or submerged aquatic vegetation.
For more information, see the paper: Carvalho, TP, Lehmann A, P, EHL Pereira and RE Reis (2008) A new species of Hisonotus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae:
Hypoptopomatinae) from the Laguna dos Patos basin, southern Brazil. Copeia, 2008, pp. 510"516.