Scleronema teiniagua Ferrer & Malabarba, 2020

Family:  Trichomycteridae (Pencil or parasitic catfishes), subfamily: Trichomycterinae
Max. size:  4.52 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; freshwater
Distribution:  South America: endemic to the drainage of the río Cuareím (Uruguay), a tributary to the left bank of lower rio Uruguay.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-10; Anal soft rays: 6-6; Vertebrae: 34-35. This species is distinguished from all its congeners by the remarkable reduction in the laterosensory system lacking the pores s1, s2, s3 and s6 in the supraorbital line and pore i10 in the infraorbital line (vs. presence of, at least, pore i10) and the lower number of pterygiophores of dorsal fin 8 (vs. 9-14) (Ref. 122319).
Biology:  Occurs in rivers and streams but has not been collected with its congeners. Stomachs of two specimens contained immature aquatic Diptera (Chironomidae and Simuliidae) and Ephemeroptera (Ref. 122319).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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