[Ichthyology • 2017] Eigenmannia sayona • A New Species of the Eigenmannia trilineata Species Group (Gymnotiformes: Sternopygidae) from the río Orinoco Basin, Venezuela

  Eigenmannia sayona

Peixoto & Waltz, 2017
DOI: 10.1590/1982-0224-20150199 

Abstract

A new species of the Eigenmannia trilineata species group is described from the río Orinoco basin, Venezuela. The new species is distinguished from congeners by a unique set of characters including an ossified basibranchial 1; 198-217 anal-fin rays; suborbital depth, 21.3-26.1% HL; length of anterodorsal process of maxilla equal to the width of the posterior nostril; premaxilla with 17 teeth distributed in three rows; hyaline pectoral and anal fins; and number of scale series above lateral line, 9-10. It raises the number of species allocated to the Eigenmannia trilineata species group to 13 and the number of species within the genus to 18.

Keywords: Biodiversity; Electric-fishes; Taxonomy; Tuvira.

Fig. 1 Holotype of Eigenmannia sayona, new species, MZUSP 96497, 131.8 mm LEA, Venezuela, Bolivar, Cedeño, río Orinoco, río Parguaza, near the community of Puente Parhueña. a. Lateral view of head and body; b. Lateral view of head. 

Etymology. The specific epithet “sayona” is assigned to the new species in reference to “La Sayona”, a spirit of philanderous vengeance in Venezuelan lore. A noun in apposition.

Geographic distribution. Eigenmannia sayona is known from río Orinoco basin, from río Parguaza, río Apure, and Laguna de Castilleros, Venezuela.

Luiz A. W. Peixoto and Brandon T. Waltz. 2017. A New Species of the Eigenmannia trilineata (Gymnotiformes: Sternopygidae) Species Group from the río Orinoco Basin, Venezuela. Neotropical Ichthyology. 15(1); e150199. DOI: 10.1590/1982-0224-20150199.