A German scientist has described a new species of characin from the Knodus genus after it was discovered in Peru.
Axel Zarske named the new species as Knodus pasco in a paper in the German journal Vertebrate Zoology.
Knodus pasco is one of the smaller representatives of the Knodus genus and is named after the Departmento Pasco area, in which it was discovered.
The new species has a complete lateral line, four teeth in the second row on the premaxillary bone and the base of its caudal fin is scaled.
Zarske says it can be told apart from other members of the Knodus genus by the following combination of characters: "six (rarely five) maxillary teeth, six (rarely five) tri- to quincuspid teeth in the outer row, which is very irregular, 37-39 scales in the lateral line, 7/1/4 scales before dorsal fin, anal fin with iv-v, 17-19 i fin rays, head relatively small (3.79-4.05 times in SL), a dark longitudinal band (two and a half scales wide) from gill cover to the tips of the middle caudal fin rays, a very faint vertical humeral spot and a black longitudinal band in dorsal fin."
For more details see the paper: Zarske, A (2007) - Knodus pasco sp. n. - ein neuer Salmer (Teleostei: Characiformes: Characidae) aus Peru. Vertebrate Zoology, 57 (1), 2007, 15-21. (In German).