‘Armored’ creature found lurking in underwater caves of Brazil. It’s a new species

In the murky waters of a river in Brazil, an “armored” creature swam along. The animal’s coloring helped it blend in with underwater caves and rocky outcroppings — but not well enough.

Locals called the creature “tubarão,” which means “shark” in Portuguese, according to a study published Oct. 30 in the journal Neotropical Ichthyology. The aquarium trade called the animal L082 and exported it to North America, Europe and Asia.

During several surveys of the Xingu River between 2008 and 2017, scientists found 38 of these poorly-known fish. Taking a closer look, they realized they’d discovered an undescribed species: Scobinancistrus raonii, or Raoni’s armored catfish.

Raoni’s armored catfish is considered “small to medium-sized,” reaching about 6.5 inches in length, the study said. It has a “bulky” body with armor-like plates on its head and sides.

Photos show a juvenile, subadult and adult Raoni’s armored catfish. It has a brown or olive green body covered in bright yellow spots. This coloring helps camouflage the fish, another photo shows.

Researchers found Raoni’s armored catfish lurking in caves and rocky outcroppings made of conglomerate rock in quick moving, shallow water. “Conglomerate rock (is) formed by gravel, sand, and iron oxide,” the study said.

Researchers said they named the new species after the Cacique Raoni Metuktire of the Kayapó people. “Raoni is one of the most active indigenous leaders in the struggle to preserve the Amazon rainforest and indigenous peoples” and has been “a solid reference for the fight for the conservation of the Xingu River basin for more than 40 years.”

The new species has so far only been found in the main channel of the Xingu River, “one of the largest tributaries” of the Amazon River,researchers said. This area has been heavily impacted by humans due to the recent construction of a dam.

A map shows where Raoni’s armored catfish has been found in northern Brazil, about 1,900 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro.

Because of its limited habitat and nearby dam construction, researchers think that Raoni’s armored catfish might be endangered.

The new species was identified by its “quite distinct” coloring and body shape, the study said. Researchers did not provide a DNA analysis of the new species.

The research team included Mateus Chaves, Renildo de Oliveira, Alany Gonçalves, Leandro Sousa and Lúcia Rapp Py-Daniel.

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