Micromyzon akamai, gen. et sp. nov., a small and eyeless banjo catfish (Siluriformes: Aspredinidae) from the river channels of the lower Amazon Basin

Abstract

A new genus and species of aspredinid catfish, Micromyzon akamai, is described from trawl collections made in river channels of the Brazilian Amazon. This taxon is uniquely diagnosed by several apomorphies including lack of eyes, reduced melanic pigmentation, extremely reduced premaxillae and hypertrophied development of skull roofing elements and body armor. Its sister-group relationship to a clade containing Dupouyichthys and Ernstichthys is supported by the lack of lower jaw dentition, well- developed dorsal armor plates, and an anterior shift in the origin of the anal fin.