Parauchenoglanis stiassnyae (Siluriformes: Auchenoglanididae): A new species of giraffe catfish from Mfimi‐Lukenie basin, central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

AbstractA new, distinctively short‐bodied giraffe catfish of Parauchenoglanis is described from the Ndzaa River, a small left‐bank tributary of the Mfimi‐Lukenie basin in the Central basin of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The new species can be distinguished from all congeners by having 29 or fewer (vs. 33 or more) total vertebrae. It can further be distinguished from all congeners, except Parauchenoglanis zebratus Sithole et al., 2023 and Parauchenoglanis ngamensis (Boulenger 1911), by having 13 or 14 (vs. 16 or more) pre‐anal vertebrae. The species is endemic to the Mfimi River basin, where it has been collected mainly in blackwater tributaries.