Details are effectively nonexistent, but the fish world is fervently excited about a brand new, nearly solid-red pencilfish that was shared this week by Albertino Maca Ausber at Aquarium Shaly Exotic Fish Ltd, a tropical fish exporter located in Iquitos Peru. This new form is currently being named Nannostomus sp. ‘Super Red Cenepa’.

Says our good friend Nathan Hill, editor of the UK-based Practical Fishkeeping, “Great, now I need to like all the other Nannostomus species slightly less so that this one can be at the very top of my lust list. This is beauuuuuutiful.”

Mr. Hill, we concur.

You can catch video of Nannostomus sp. ‘Super Red Cenepa’ on Ausber’s Facebook page.

Update, 3/30/22: Hans-Georg Evers and Max Pedley have both suggested that this form could simply be a variant or extreme example of the Purple Pencilfish, Nannostomus rubrocaudatus. “It looks like an aberrant N. rubrocaudatus, but [could] be a new species. We must wait for further images and information,” said Evers.

Only this single specimen has been photographed, and reportedly the group it came from has already been shipped to Hong Kong. It has been suggested that more groups of this interesting variety will make their way into the trade in the future.

Update, 3/31/22: A Hong Kong aquarist who prefers to go by the online handle Aqua Journey has obtained several specimens of this new Nannostomus sp. ‘Super Red Cepena’, and they are even more striking than the first photos from the collectors in Peru. Check them out in this new update!

We’ll continue to update this post further if or when more information becomes available.