''Derhamia hoffmannorum'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of freshwater fish

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

, where it is found in the

Mazaruni River The Mazaruni River is a tributary of the Essequibo River in northern Guyana. Its source is in the remote western forests of the Pakaraima Mountains and its confluence with the Cuyuni River is near Bartica. As it descends from the Guiana Highlands ...

. It is the only species in its genus. It is found in fresh water at pelagic depths in a tropical climate. The average length of an unsexed male is about 6.1 cm (2.4 in). It has an elongated body with large eyes. It is a timid species compared to other similar species such as the various pencilfish. They live near the surface of water and are known to hide whenever possible, usually under floating objects. This species only eats what can be found at the surface, as well. ''D. hoffmannorum'' will not seek food that sinks to the bottom. The fish is named in honor of Peter Hoffman and Martin Hoffman (Salzgitter and Hanover, Germany, respectively), who collected the holotype specimens in the wild and brought back and acclimated other specimens to captivity, giving authors additional information about its biology that could not have been known by studying them in the wild.

References

Lebiasinidae Monotypic fish genera Freshwater fish of South America Fish of Guyana Endemic fauna of Guyana Taxa named by Jacques Géry Taxa named by Axel Zarske Fish described in 2002 {{Characiformes-stub