Aequidens plagiozonatus Kullander 1984

Aequidens plagiozonatus Kullander, 1984

Fig. 33

Body deep; greatest body depth contained 2.0 to 2.3 and caudal peduncle depth 5.3 to 5.9 times in SL; head length 3.0 to 3.3 and caudal peduncle length 8.8 to 11.4 in SL; snout length 3.6 to 4.6, horizontal orbital diameter 2.5 to 3.0 and least interorbital width 2.4 to 2.7 in HL. Mouth terminal; premaxilla and dentary with 3 or 4 teeth rows anteriorly. Upper lateral line with 16 or 17, lower lateral line with 7 or 8 pored scales and longitudinal series with 24-26 scales. Transversal series above upper lateral line with 2½ or 3 and below lower lateral line with 4½ or 5 scale rows. Dorsal fin with XIII-XV,10-12, pectoral fin with 13 or 14, pelvic fin with I,5 and anal fin with III,8-10 rays (Kullander, 1984). Ground color yellowish-white to pale brown; dark-brown longitudinal band discontinuous; dark-brown transverse bars oblique on flank; dark-brown mid-lateral blotch; darkbrown blotch at base of upper caudal-fin lobe. Caudal fin with dark-brown spots only on its proximal portion; soft portion of dorsal anal fins with white spots.

Maximum standard length. 103.3 mm.

Biological data. Lives in shallow environments and open areas (Tondato et al., 2013).

Distribution. Upper rio Paraná and upper rio Paraguai basins.

Remarks. Aequidens plagiozonatus has been captured in the upper rio Paraná floodplain since 2014 by the Nupélia staff. This is the first record of A. plagiozonatus to the upper rio Paraná basin, and no records of this species in the lower rio Paraná are known. Therefore, A. plagiozonatus is considered a non-native species in the region, and its recent occurrence can be associated with the aquarium trade.