A new sand-dwelling species of <i>Rineloricaria</i> (Siluriformes, Loricariidae) from the Eastern Brazilian Basin.

ABSTRACT: We describe Rineloricaria harenae sp. nov., a sand-dwelling armoured catfish from the Itapocú River, Jaraguá do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The new species is diagnosed by a distinctive combination of characters: (1) four lateral plate series, with the mid-dorsal series absent; (2) abdomen only partially covered by central plates that do not reach the pectoral-fin insertion; (3) plates of the central abdominal complex arranged in an approximately triangular pattern; (4) cleithral (scapular) region entirely naked or bearing a few small, isolated plates; and (5) presence of five dark transverse bars on the dorsal surface of the body. Mitochondrial COI data corroborate species distinctiveness, and phylogenetic inference under the GTR model recovers R. harenae as a well-s

SUBMITTER: Rodrigues da Cruz B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12924054 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature