Trichomycterus tete Barbosa & Costa, 2011

Family:  Trichomycteridae (Pencil or parasitic catfishes), subfamily: Trichomycterinae
Max. size:  6.13 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  benthopelagic; freshwater
Distribution:  South America: Cachoeira do Giló, and córrego Morceguinho, tributaries of rio Brumado, upper rio de Contas drainage, serra do Espinhaço, northeastern Brazil.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal soft rays (total): 11-11; Anal soft rays: 9-9; Vertebrae: 36-37. Distinguished from all congeners by having a deeper outer edge of the hypobranchial 1 (vs. outer edge about the same deep as the inner edge). Similar to Trichomycterus albinotattus, T. alternatus, T. auroguttatus, T. bahianus, T. caudofasciatus, T. concolor, T. davisi, T. diabolus, T. fl orensis, T. goeldii, T. guaraquessaba, T. iheringi, T. itacambirussu, T. jacupiranga, T. jequitinhonhae, T. landinga, T. longibarbatus, T. maculosus, T. nigroauratus, T. paquequerense, T. travassosi, T. tupinamba, T. zonatus, and T. variegatus and can be diagnosed from all from all other species from southeastern and northeastern Brazil by having eight pectoral-fin rays (vs. six, seven or nine). Distinguished from Trichomycterus davisi, T. diabolus, T guaraquessaba, T. iheringi, T. tupinamba, and T. zonatus by having the first pectoral-fin ray prolonged as a filament (vs. not prolonged); from T. alternatus, T. bahianus, T. caudofasciatus, and T. longibarbatus by the smaller pectoral-fin filament, about 30% of the pectoral-fin length (vs. about 50%); from T. maculosus, T. diabolus, and T. nigroauratus by possessing a deeper metapterygoid, much deeper than wide (vs. wider than deep); from T. alternatus, T. bahianus, T. goeldii, T. itacambirussu, T. jequitinhonhae, T. landinga, T. longibarbatus, T. maracaya, T. nigroauratus by having a shorter maxillary barbel, reaching the middle of the opercular patch of odontodes (vs. pectoral-fin base); from T. albinotatus, T. auroguttatus, T. bahianus, T. guaraquessaba, T. jacupiranga, T. jequitinhonhae, T. landinga, T. longibarbatus, T. travassosi, and T. variegatus by having a narrower head (head width 68.7 - 77.5% HL, vs. 80.7 - 104.6%); from T. alternatus, T. albinotattus, T. diabolus, T. longibarbatus, T. tupinamba by having 11 dorsal-fin rays (vs. 12); from T. florensis, and T. paquequerense by having a caudal fin truncate (vs. emarginate); from T. auroguttatus, T. bahianus, T. concolor, T. iheringi, T. itacambirussu, T. landinga, T. longibarbatus and T. variegatus by having more slender body (body depth 12.5 - 13.2% SL, vs. 13.5 - 18.2%); from T. bahianus, T. concolor, T. guaraquessaba, T. jequitinhonhae, T. itacambirussu, T. landinga, T. longibarbatus and T. variegatus by having more slender caudal peduncle (caudal peduncle depth 9.7 - 10.8% SL, vs. 10.9 - 15.1%); from T. concolor, T. longibarbatus and T. variegatus by having a shorter dorsal-fin base (dorsal-fin base length 9.4 - 10.7% SL, vs. 10.9 - 15.5%) (Ref. 88926).
Biology:  Occurs in a narrow artificial channel flowing at the side to a waterfall and in a large pool formed after a waterfall, both places with clearwater and rapid flow. Usually found in shallow places along the margins, on the gravel or litter substrate (Ref. 88926).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 07 November 2018 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.