A species of Guianacara cichlid has been scientifically described and given the name Guianacara dacrya.

The species was described in a paper (http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-62252011000100006&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en) by Jessica Arbour and Hernán Lopez-Fernández published in the journal Neotropical Ichthyology (http://www.ufrgs.br/ni/sbijournal/index.HTM).

Name – Guianacara dacrya

The species epithet is derived from the Greek word dakryo which means to shed tears. It is a reference to the dark stripe found below the eyes of Guianacara dacrya.

Guianacara dacrya Appearance

Guianacara dacrya can be distinguished from other members of the subgenus Guianacara on its dark stripe. This dark stripe is located below the eye and fades across the cheek. It remains dark as it approaches the throat. Guianacara dacrya sports white spots on the spiny portion of the dorsal fin, and this species also differs from the other known members of Guianacara by having a bony flange on the sides of the lower pharyngeal jaw.

Guianacara dacrya Habitat

The authors collected Guianacara dacrya from the tributaries of Rio Essequibo River and Rio Branco in Guyana and northern Brazil. They encountered the species in both clear water streams with moderate current and seasonally flooded lagoons with no current. The water temperature was in the 25–29°C range, and the water had a very low conductivity and high level of dissolved oxygen.

Authors

Jessica H. Arbour
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Canada jessica.arbour@utoronto.ca

Hernán López-Fernánde
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Canada
Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada