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Henschel et al 2024 (1)

Description: Paravandellia luna differs from all congeners by having a narrower autopalatine fenestra, occupying about half of autopalatine area (fig. 4F; vs. 75% in Parav. oxyptera, Parav. phaneronema, and Parav. brooksi, and 80% in Parav. oscarleoni, Parav. alleynei and Parav. vampyra); and a wide ascending process of opercle (fig. 6F; vs. thin and elongate). It differs from all congeners except Parav. oxyptera and Parav. brooksi by having acute processes extending into the posterior cranial fontanel from anterolateral corners of the parietosupraoccipital (fig. 4F; vs. adnate to sphenotic in Parav. alleynei, absent in Parav. phaneronema and Parav. oscarleoni), (Henschel et al 2024). Colouration: Body whitish with vertebrae visible through body wall. Reddish gills and heart. Gut distended with blood, with few flecks of iridescent fat deposits on last quarter of gut. Head clear and whitish with black eyes. No melanophores visible on body, (Henschel et al 2024). Habitat: Inhabits rivers with sandy to muddy bottom. Known from the Branco and Solimões river drainages, Amazon River basin. Diet: Found to exhibit parasitic traits. Forages both during the day and at night seeks the gill chambers of larger fishes, especially catfishes. Enters and leaves the gill chamber during the host's ventilating movements: feeds on blood drawn from the gill filaments and may stay in the gill chamber for 1-3 min; when gorged with blood, moves to the bottom and buries itself in the sand. A single large catfish tethered on the river bank may feed thousand of these parasitic catfish over a period of up to 6 hours. Large numbers of this fish may kill fishes tethered by fishermen. Etymology: The genus name of Paravandellia: para-, near, i.e., considered between Stegophilus and Vandellia (yet described as having the general appearance of the former). The specific name of luna references both the white colour of living individuals and an indigenous Amazonian tale in which the Moon, forbidden to marry the Sun, copiously cried. The Moon’s tears ran from the land to the sea, which rejected such a massive amount of water. Thus, these tears carved several river channels into northern South America, including that of the Amazon (Rodrigues, 1890), (Henschel et al 2024).

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Trichomycteridae

South America: Known from the Branco and Solimões river drainages, Amazon River basin.

4.0cm. (1¾ins)

25-28°c (77-83°f.)

6.0-7.0.

Elisabeth Henschel, Jonathan N. Baskin, Rupert Collins, and Nathan K. Lujan "A Revised Diagnosis of the Blood-Feeding Candiru Genus Paravandellia (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae: Vandelliinae) with Descriptions of Three New Species," American Museum Novitates 2024(4024), 1-36, (28 June 2024).
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