A new species of armored catfish of the genus Scobinancistrus (Loricariidae: Hypostominae) from the Xingu River basin, Brazil

Abstract

A new species of Scobinancistrus from the Xingu River, Brazil, is described. It can be distinguished from its congeners by color pattern and a combination of non-exclusive characters: overall body covered by large yellow spaced blotches over a dark background (vs. small round and densely packed spots over light or dark background in S. pariolispos and S. aureatus); lack of orange to yellow/orange distal band on dorsal and caudal fins (vs. presence in S. aureatus), dorsal fin not reaching adipose-fin supporting plate when adpressed (vs. reaching the adipose-fin plate in S. pariolispos and S. aureatus). The new species is only known from a portion of the middle Xingu River, ranging from the Volta Grande do Xingu, an area under a strong anthropic impact due to the construction of the Belo Monte dam, to near the Iriri River confluence with the Xingu River. Aspects concerning the species’ threats and its conservation status are discussed.