Fig. 22

Body elongated; greatest body depth contained 4.9 to

6.2, head depth 4.3 to 5.0 and caudal peduncle depth 4.2 to 4.9 times in SL; head length 4.3 to 4.8, anal-fin base length 8.8 to 9.1, adipose-fin base length 2.3 to 2.8 and maxillarybarbel length 1.3 to 1.6 times in SL; snout length 2.0 to 2.7, horizontal orbital diameter 3.2 to 4.8 and least interorbital width 3.8 to 4.7 times in HL. Mouth terminal; premaxilla and dentary with several diminute and viliform teeth. Dorsal fin with I,6, pectoral fin with I,9 or 10, pelvic fin with 6 and anal fin with 11-14 rays. Ground color beige; dark-brown longitudinal band along lateral line. Hyaline fins (Graça, Pavanelli, 2007).

Maximum standard length. 154.0 mm (Graça, Pavanelli, 2007).

Distribution. Upper rio Paraná and upper río Paraguay basins.

Remarks. Pimelodella taenioptera is a non-native species from the upper rio Paraná and its occurrence can be associated with the functioning of the Canal da Piracema (a fish ladder that connects the region downstream from the Itaipu Dam to the region upstream from the dam). Despite the similarity of Pimelodella taenioptera with P. boschmai Van der Stigchel, 1964 from the rio Mogi-Guaçu, the specimens from the upper rio Paraná floodplain with the first dorsalfin ray extended into a filament have only been recorded in the focused region after the functioning of the Canal da Piracema. Therefore, these specimens do not correspond to any other species described from the upper rio Paraná basin.