Six new species of tentacle-faced fish discovered in Amazon

Six new species of tentacle-faced fish discovered in Amazon

Source: The Independent

3/7/2019

Scientists have discovered six new species of fish with faces covered in tentacles hiding in the waterways of South America.

All of these unusual aquatic creatures are bristlenose catfish, relatives of the sucker-mouthed species often used in fish tanks to keep them clean of algae.

The fish were identified from specimens collected in the Guiana Shield region, an area encompassing parts of Venezuela, Colombia and Guyana.

Dr Lesley de Souza from the Chicago Field Museum came across the fish while examining museum samples belonging to what she thought were five species of catfish.

Instead of merely validating the existence of those species, the fish expert ended up bringing the total number she was dealing with up to 11 after examining their features and DNA.

“We discovered six new species of really cool catfish from the Amazon and Orinoco River basins,” said Dr De Souza.

“They have tentacles on their snouts, they have spines that stick out from their heads, almost like claws, to protect themselves and their nests, and their body is covered with bony plates like armour.”

“They’re warriors, they’re fish superheroes.”

The fish, which grow up to about 15cm long, use the tentacles on their snouts to gauge the quality of potential mates. If males have impressive tentacles, females will see them as high quality partners.

Dr De Souza and her colleagues documented their discoveries in the journal Zootaxa.

Catish Tentacles

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5526	A Look at the Rainbow Trout of Kamloops	Kamloops	2019-03-01	CA
5527	Six new species of tentacle-faced fish discovered in Amazon	The Independent	2019-03-07	US
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