Among them are the Wolverine pleco, a catfish that can grow up to 15 cm long and lives in the rocks in the Brazilian river of Rio Xingu, a tributary of the lower Amazon.

“This pleco owes its charismatic name to three stout curved spikes, or odontodes, concealed beneath the gill covers which act as a defense mechanism when it is harassed,” say the researchers who discovered it.

Another species that caught the attention of researchers is the Mumbai blind eel. This is described as “an incredible looking species with no eyes, fins, or scales.”