Simpsonichthys boitonei, a rare, seasonal killifish that is threatened with extinction has been redescribed by ichthyologists.
Simpsonichthys boitonei was first discovered during the construction of the city of Brasilia, and was described by de Carvalho in 1959.
Wilson Costa and Gilberto Brasil collected new specimens of S. boitonei from the upper Rio Parana basin in central Brazil.
Using the larger number of specimens available, combined with the pair's recent knowledge of the genus, they have been able to redescribe the fish, adding further details on morphology, meristics, colour patterns, squamation, contact organs and the laterosensory system.
Their redescription has just been published in the latest issue of the journal Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters.
The species is a member of a group of Simpsonichthys rivulids (also including zonatus, santanae, chloropteryx and parallelus) that are endemic to the high central Brazilian Plateau, where they are found in waters at altitudes of 800-1100m.
With over 40 species, the Simpsonichthys genus is now one of the most diverse genera of aplocheiloid killifishes.
For more details see the paper: Costa WJEM and GC Brasil (2006) - Redescription of Simpsonichthys boitonei (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae), a rare seasonal killifish from the central Brazilian plateau. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 221-224.