Knodus shinahota (Characiformes: Characidae) a new species from the río Shinahota, río Chapare basin (Mamoré system), Bolivia

Knodus shinahota, new species, is described from río Shinahota, a tributary of the upper rio Mamoré basin, Província de Tiraque, Cochabamba State, Bolivia. The new species can be distinguished from all congeners except K. chapadae and K. geryi by having six rows of scales between the lateral line and the dorsal-fin origin (vs 4 or 5 rows of scales in the other species). Knodus shinahota differs from K. chapadae by possessing more rows of scales between the lateral line and the pelvic-fin origin (5 vs 3½ or 4, respectively) and more lateral line scales (38-41 vs 36-38, respectively). It differs from K. geryi by possessing more rows of scales between the lateral-line and the pelvic-fin origin (5 vs 4, respectively); fewer branched anal-fin rays (17-20 vs 15-17, respectively), and by lacking the two symmetric, large, dark, blotches on the basal portions of the caudal-fin lobes that characterize K. geryi.

South America; Systematics; Neotropical; Amazon basin