Top loricariid taxonomist Dr Jonathon Armbruster has described a new species of Pseudancistrus and redescribed the genus in a paper published this week.
The new research, published in the journal Zootaxa, describes Pseudancistrus sidereus from specimens collected in the Amazon and Orinoco basin in Venezuela. Formerly known as Pseudancistrus sp. "Gold Spot" in Armbruster's previous research, the new fish has a unique set of concave ventral plates on the caudal peduncle, which make it clearly distinguishable from other plecs.
The dark grey-black plec, gets its species name, sidereus, from the starry pattern on pale white spots on its body.
For more details on the new plec and the redescription of the genus, see the paper: Armbruster, J. (2004) - Pseudancistrus sidereus, a new species from southern Venezuela, (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) with a redescription of Pseudancistrus. Zootaxa, 628: 1-15.