Three new species of unusual cave-dwelling catfish have been described from fish collected in caves in the Sao Domingo karst area of Brazil.
The new catfishes, Ituglanis bambui, I. ramiroi and I. epikarsticus, are members of the Trichomycteridae family, one of the most diverse groups of catfish with over 200 species spread across 35 genera.
The group has has seen a lot of taxonomic interest in the past year, with several new species being described as well as further work undertaken on their phylogenetics.
The three new Ituglanis have reduced eyes and lack colouration and visible markings.
For more details on their identification see the paper: Bichueyye, ME and E. Trajano (2004) - Three new species of Ituglanis from Central Brazil (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. Vol. 15. No. 3.