A new species of tiny armoured catfish caught from the Rio ParaÃba do Sul basin, Brazil has been described in the open access journal Zookeys.
Pareiorhina hyptiorhachis measures a mere 3-3.5 cm in length and inhabits moderate to fast-flowing streams in the waters of the Rio Pomba and one of its tributaries, the Ribeirão Fernandes, with a substrate of rocks and sand and margins covered by aquatic vegetation.
Like others in the genus it is only found in Brazil.
Pareiorhina hyptiorhachis differs from other species in the genus by sporting a conspicuous postdorsal ridge, simple teeth, a completely naked abdomen, a greater head width with a more round dorsal profile and a greater suborbital depth.
The species name hyptiorhachis references the conspicuous postdorsal ridge found in this species, and is from the Greek, hyptios = supine, lying on the back, and rhachis = ridge, midrib.
You can read the full description in the open access paper: Silva GSC, Roxo FF, Oliveira C (2013) Pareiorhina hyptiorhachis, a new catfish species from Rio Paraíba do Sul basin, southeastern Brazil (Siluriformes, Loricariidae). ZooKeys 315: 65. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.315.5307
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