Iguanodectes polylepis
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| Iguanodectes polylepis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Iguanodectidae |
| Genus: | Iguanodectes |
| Species: | I. polylepis |
| Binomial name | |
| Iguanodectes polylepis Géry, 1993 | |
Iguanodectes polylepis is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Iguanodectidae. This species is endemic to Brazil, where it inhabits the Madeira and Purus river basins. It is one of the larger members of the genus, but remains generally small, only a little over a quarter-foot long.
Iguanodectes polylepis was named in the same paper that named congeners I. gracilis and I. variatus. None of the three species are particularly well-studied, though I. variatus is more well-known than the other two due to its presence in aquaria, albeit sparse.
Iguanodectes polylepis is a small fish, measuring a maximum of 8.4 cm (3.3 in) standard length (SL).[2] Nonetheless, it is somewhat large for a species of Iguanodectes, and has the greatest number of lateral line scales therein, 76–81.[3][4] It is narrow-bodied and slender, as with all Iguanodectes, and lacks the prominent chest keel seen in sister genus Piabucus.[5]
Iguanodectes polylepis, as in all Iguanodectes, has a base scale color that ranges from yellow to silver-yellow, and is most similar in coloration to congener Iguanodectes variatus. It has a patch of pigmentation on its caudal fin that occupies a great deal of the junction between lobes, and its lateral stripe is generally dark, with a pinkish band on top.[3] However, it differs from I. variatus in that the snout is not dark, and it has no irregular spots of the kind that give I. variatus its name.[4] Some specimens of I. polylepis bear a patch of orange near the caudal peduncle, and/or an orange dorsal fin. There is no humeral mark.[3]
Taxonomy
Iguanodectes polylepis has no known synonyms.[6] It is one of the more recent additions to the genus, named in 1993, and is one of three species described in its nominal paper; the other two are Iguanodectes variatus and Iguanodectes gracilis.[3][7] I. polylepis, as with the rest of Iguanodectes, was once considered a member of the family Characidae, but research in 2011 prompted a move to a new family, Iguanodectidae.[8]
Etymology
The specific epithet "polylepis" means "many-scaled"; "poly" means "multiple", and "lepis" means "scale" (compare Lepidoptera, "scale wing"). This is in reference to its high number of lateral-line scales, the highest in the genus.[4]
Iguanodectes polylepis lacks a common name accepted by the scientific community.[9]