A new species of loricariid from the genus Hemiancistrus has been described from fishes caught in Brazil.
Alexandre Cardoso of the Pontifica Universidade do Rio Grande do Sul, described the new species as Hemiancistrus megalopteryx in the journal Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. It brings the total number of described species in the genus to 17, but Cardoso says that numerous others are awaiting description.
H. megalopteryx was found in the Rio Tubarao drainage in Santa Cantarina State, Brazil, and differs from close relatives by the presence of a number of meristic and morphological characters, including long pectoral fins and the presence of lots of small, fleshy oval flaps and papillae on the border of the lower lip.
At around 28cm, Cardoso says that the new fish is the largest so far in the genus.
For more details see: Cardoso, R. (2004) - Hemiancistrus megalopteryx, a new species of loricariid catfish from the rio Tubaro drainage, Santa Catarina State, Brazil (Teleostei: Siluriformes: Loricariidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. June, 2004.