Since its discovery in 2007, a large fish species from Amazonia has not revealed sufficient information for its identification, leaving only hints at its genus and thus leaving scientists in the dark as to its origins. Now, three scientists have discovered the missing pieces to the puzzle, revealing the fish as a new species and naming it after both a renowned fish researcher and the fictional Latin American character Zorro.
The team, working at the Universidade Federal do Para, named the new fish Myloplus zorroi, commonly referred to as "pacu" by Brazilians. It is a relative of the piranha. The fish was found by a sport fisherman from Rio Madeira Basin, Brazil, and eventually made its way into the hands of the current team of scientists who conducted analyses on it and revealed that the initial discoverers had slapped it with an incorrect genus.
The new fish features many unique, distinctive features, some of these being its incisiform teeth, which are specialized to effectively crush seeds.
With a size of up to 47.5 centimeters, the new pacu species is quite large. It is typically found in moderately to rapidly flowing clear rivers that run over rocky sand bottoms, with depths that range from two to eight meters. Its standard color is a reddish silver, with darker spots that run along the upper side of the body, a dark head and a pale yellow belly.
Although the name was chosen as a tribute to Mauricio Camargo-Zorro, a researcher at the Instituto Federal de Educacao who has provided invaluable contributions to the fish fauna inventory from the Marmelos Conservation Area, the name is also a reference to the fictional Latin American character Don Diego de la Vega, who hid his secret identify behind the nickname Zorro
The character Zorro dates back to 1919 when he was created by pulp writer Johnston McCulley. A universally beloved character in Latin American comic books, he was used as inspiration for the original Batman character, and since his creation his legacy has remained widespread, with numerous films and videogames based on his character.
The findings were published in the March 7 issue of ZooKeys.
