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Ribeiro, F. R. V et al. 2026 (3)

Description: Tympanopleura personata is distinguished from all congeners by having a unique colouration of the head, consisting of the combination of an intensely pigmented square-shaped blotch on the supraoccipital and a semicircular dark blotch above each eye (Walsh et al., 2015). It also differs from all congeners, except T. piperata, by the caudal-fin pigmentation, consisting of a patch of scattered melanophores forming an inconspicuous vertical bar on the caudal-fin base, most visible in live or freshly preserved specimens. Tympanopleura personata differs from T. piperata by having a longer caudal peduncle (11.1%–13.8% LS vs. 7.6%–10.5% LS) and a smaller distance between the insertion of the last dorsal-fin ray and adipose-fin origin (41.9%–45.6% LS vs. 45.9%–55.4% LS). Additionally, T. personata can be distinguished from T. atronasus, T. cryptica, T. brevis, T. piperata and T. rondoni by having more anal-fin rays (36–40, mode 39 vs. 23–30, mode 27 in T. atronasus; 23–30, mode 29 in T. cryptica; 31–36, mode 33 in T. brevis; 31–38, mode 35 in T. piperata; and 28–37, mode 31 in T. rondoni) and few total gill rakers (17–20, mode 19 vs. 20–24, mode 23 in T. brevis; 21–26, mode 22 in T. cryptica; 19–25, mode 23 in T. longipinna; and 24–33, mode 29–30 in T. rondoni), (Ribeiro, F. R. V et al. 2026). Aquarium Care: Although of a smaller size to its close relative, Ageneiosus, they could still prove to be predatory as per this genera, so would need to be kept with fish that are not too small. Diet: Presumably meat based. Etymology: The genus name Tympanopleura: tympano-, tympanum; pleuro, side, referring to prominent pseudotympanum consisting of an area on side of body devoid of epaxial musculature where gas bladder contacts internal coelomic wall. The specific epithet "personata" is derived from the Latin personatus, meaning masked, in reference to the dorsal pigmentation of the head. It is treated as a noun in apposition. Gender is feminine.

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Auchenipteridae

South America: Known only from its type locality, in the Iquiri River, Ituxi River, a right-bank tributary of the Purus River, Amazon River basin, northern Brazil.

8.0cm (3ins)

22-24°c (71-75°f.)

6.5-7.5

Fish in the News 2026
Ribeiro, F. R. V., Silva-Oliveira, C., Magalhães, V., Gama, L., & Rapp Py-Daniel, L. H. (2026). A new species of inseminating catfish of the genus Tympanopleura (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae) from the Ituxi River, Amazon River basin, northern Brazil, revealed by integrative taxonomy. Journal of Fish Biology, 1–11