New species of Teleocichla described, T. wajapi

[GrKF]

A new species of Teleocichla, T. wajapi from the río Jarí in the left bank of the lower Amazon basin in Brazil has been described by Henrique R. Varella and Cristiano R. Moreira from the federal University of São Paulo [brasil]. The description has been published on April 23 in the digital journal Zootaxa. The new species has been mentioned in the aquarium literature since 1997 and was known as Teleocichla sp. 'Jari'. The new Teleocichla seems to be closely related to T. centrarchus, with which it shares an unique trait in the genus and a rare one in the closely related Crenicichla; the possession of four instead of three anal fin spines. It differs from T. centrarchus in a combination of features, including a smaller eye and less scales in the e1 line (a line of scales just above the the posterior part of the lateral line). T. wajapi has been named after the indigenous people of the Tupi-guarani cultural-linguistic group, Wajãpi, the Wajãpi group has a population of less than 2000 people distributed in several tribes in the state of Amapá, Brazil, and in French Guiana. The new Teleocichla is the largest of the described species.

 

Varella, Henrique R & C.R. Moreira. 2013. "Teleocichla wajapi, a new species of cichlid from the rio Jari, Brazil, with comments on T. centrarchus Kullander, 1988 (Teleostei: Cichlidae)". Zootaxa. v. 3641(n. 2), pp. 3641