The genus and species Physopyxis lyra was originally described based on only one very distinctive specimen. Analysis of a larger number of specimens provided a more precise characterization of the genus and the type species. Additionally, two new species are described based on material already available in museums and new collections. Physopyxis lyra is characterized by having a well developed coracoid process with divergent tips, and only one series of spines on the lateral plates. Physopyxis ananas, new species, has a thin coracoid process, convergent, and more than one series of spines on the lateral plates. Physopyxis cristata, new species, is a slender species, characterized by an incomplete series of lateral plates and the presence of a middorsal series of spines formed by the tips of the vertebral neural spines. The poorly known geographic distribution of the genus Physopyxis is vastly enlarged to include various drainages of the Amazon and Essequibo basins.
Plates ornamentation; Incomplete lateral line; Taxonomy; Thorny catfish
