| The rio Madeira is the largest white-water tributary of the Amazon, and is currently the river drainage with the highest fish species diversity in the world. A new species of Panaqolus was recognized from the middle Madeira and Mamoré rivers (Brazil) and from the Madre de Dios drainage (Peru) and it is described herein. This new species is readily distinguished from its congeners by the large number of white dots distributed all over the body and by its remarkable amplitude of color pattern variation, ranging from a pale, light brown, to dark brown and almost black background coloration. The new species closely resembles P. albomaculatus but has more and smaller dots on the body, a smaller orbital diameter (12.5-16.8% head length vs. 16.0-20.0%) and longer... |
