Brazilian scientists have described a new species of Hyphessobrycon tetra from eastern Brazil.
The description of the new tetra, named Hyphessobrycon vinaceus, is published in a paper by Vinicius Bertaco, Luiz Malabarba and Jorge Dergam in the latest issue of the journal Neotropical Ichthyology.
The species is named after the red body colour (the name comes from the Latin vinaceus, meaning reddish), and is known only from the So Joo River in the headwaters of the Pardo River drainage, a coastal drainage in eastern Brazil.
Hyphessobrycon vinaceus can be distinguished from other members of the genus except H. melanostichos, H. notidanos and members of the ~rosy tetra clade in having a red or reddish pigmented body when alive.
It differs from members of the ~rosy tetra clade in having fewer teeth on the inner row of the premaxilla and branched anal-fin rays.
Hyphessobrycon vinaceus is distinguished from H. melanostichos in lacking a conspicuous black stripe running along the entire length of the body and from H. notidanos in lacking an elongate dorsal fin in mature males, having a different number of branched and unbranched dorsal-fin rays, and more perforated lateral-line scales.
Like many other tetras, the new species is sexually dimorphic, with males having bony hooks on all fin rays. The habitat of the new species at its type locality is a fast-flowing, shallow river about 4"5 m wide and with a sandy bottom and large amount of riparian vegetation.
For more information, see the paper: Bertaco, VA, LR Malabarba and JA Dergam (2007) New Hyphessobrycon from the upper rio Pardo drainage in eastern Brazil (Teleostei: Characiformes: Characidae). Neotropical Ichthyology 5: 245"249.