Peckoltia

Jonathan W. Armbruster & David C. Werneke, 2005, Peckoltia cavatica, a new loricariid catfish from Guyana and a redescription of P. braueri (Eigenmann 1912) (Siluriformes)., Zootaxa 882, pp. 1-14 : 1

[[ Genus Peckoltia ]]

Peckoltia currently has 13 species that are found in the Amazon and Orinoco River drainages and in the coastal drainages of the Guyanas (Armbruster, 2003). Peckoltia braueri and P. sabaji are the only species of Peckoltia that have been described from around the Guyana Shield; however, there are many undescribed species (pers. obs.).

Of the species of Peckoltia found in Guyana, one was described as Hemiancistrus braueri by Eigenmann (1912) based on specimens collected by Richard Schomburgk and originally reported by Müller and Troschel (1849), one was described as Peckoltia sabaji (Armbruster 2003), and the third represents an undescribed species that is described herein as P. cavatica . Previously, P. braueri was known only from the type that was collected in the Takutu River (Negro River drainage), and that specimen had already lost its color by the time it was described by Eigenmann (1912). Peckoltia braueri has also recently been considered a species of Hemiancistrus (Cardoso and Lucinda, 2003); however, the color pattern of the fish is more consistent with the species of Peckoltia . Currently, Peckoltia and Hemiancistrus are impossible to distinguish and are likely closely related to one another (Armbruster, 2004). In general, species with dorsal saddles and bands in the fins are referred to Peckoltia and those with spots or uniform coloration are referred to Hemiancistrus ; however, this is not a very adequate situation, and the distinction between Peckoltia and Hemiancistrus requires much further work. Peckoltia braueri is certainly much more similar to P. vittata (Steindachner) (the type of Peckoltia ) than to H. medians (Kner) (the type of Hemiancistrus ). We collected P. cavatica from two localities around the Macushi village of Massara, and P. braueri in three localities around Lethem. In this manuscript, we redescribe P. braueri and describe P. cavatica new species.