A new species of the South American genus Crenicichla has been described by Carmen Montaña, Hernán López-Fernández, and Donald C. Taphorn in a recent issue of the journal Zootaxa. The new species is named Crenicichla zebrina, from the common zebra for the striped African equid, referring to the zebra-like pattern of vertical dark bars in the caudal part of the bodyl.

The predatory genus Crenicichla, commonly known as pike cichlids, is the most diverse genus of South American cichlids next to Apistogramma. Although previously thought to be related to Cichla, Crenicichla has recently been found to be related to Apistogramma and Satanoperca. Crenicichla is present in all major drainages of South America, from the coastal drainages of Venezuela (excluding the Maracaibo Lake) and the Guianas to the lower Paraná and Plata rivers in Uruguay and Argentina. Eleven species of Crenicichla are currently recognized from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela and Colombia, however, at least six new species are estimated to be described from this river drainage.

Crenicichla zebrina is distinguished from all other species in the genus by a unique coloration pattern. These include a large, dark, vertically oriented, more or less oval-shaped humeral spot, and thin, dark bars, separated by narrow, vertical, yellowish bars extending between the dorsal and anal fin base on the caudal half of the body.

Two specimens of the new species were found after intensive sampling of the Ventuari River drainage in the northwestern edge of the Guyana Shield in Venezuela. These two fish were collected in rocky habitat about 1 m deep, in clear water with bedrock substrate.

For more information, see the paper: Montaña, C.G., López-Fernández, H., Taphorn, D.C., 2008. A new species of Crenicichla (Perciformes: Cichlidae) from the Ventuari River, Upper Orinoco River Basin, Amazonas State, Venezuela. Zootaxa 1856, 33–40.