A new fish species with human-like teeth has been named after a popular movie villain.

Despite its name, the newly emerged fish species does not originate from the realm of Mordor.

Researchers have closely studied the relationship between pacus and piranhas, even though they are related, pacus are referred to as "vegetarian piranhas" due to their human-like teeth.

A villain-like marking on its body was discovered on the newest addition to the pacu family, which was found swimming in the Amazon River.

Researchers have named the Myloplus sauron species to clarify the confusion surrounding piranhas and their relatives and improve our understanding of the fish living in and around the Amazon River, according to the Natural History Museum.

The "Eye of Sauron" is a large black band on the fish's body that resembles the disembodied villain in "The Lord of the Rings."

A study in Neotropical Ichthyology described the resemblance of Myloplus sauron's elliptical body, marked with a vertical, black bar tapering toward both ends, to the famous vertical-pupilled eye from the novel.

Ichthyologists have recognized Pacus for years due to its vertical bar on the sides, but only recently have genetic analysis been able to reveal the differences within the species.

Valéria N. Machado and her team of ichthyologists at the Universidade Federal do Amazonas questioned whether the widespread pacu represented just one species or multiple species that looked alike. Through morphological and genetic analyses, they discovered that there are three species with this distinctive marking, two of which they described as new: Myloplus aylan and Myloplus sauron. Mark Sabaj, an ichthyology staff member with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Pennsylvania, confirmed this finding in an email to Planet Chronicle Digital.

By analyzing the evidence from color, body shape, and scale count, researchers were able to identify the new species and differentiate it from the others.

The fish's orange-yellow patches may have influenced its naming due to their resemblance to the fiery eye of Tolkien's antagonist from Middle Earth.

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The holotype specimen of Myloplus sauron was collected beneath two large waterfalls, Itamaracá and Ananinduba. This specimen is crucial because it is the only one to officially represent the species name and is therefore considered the "original."

The researchers were unable to determine a common ancestor among the three species, so they have left them all in the Myloplus genus until further evidence can be found.

According to Sabaj, the Myloplus sauron can be found in large rivers near waterfalls, but these areas are frequently targeted for dam construction and hydroelectricity, which can negatively affect the qualities that attract the species to these habitats.

The construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant may pose a serious threat to M. sauron, a rheophilic fish species in the Xingu River basin, as changes in the river's course have altered its flow in some stretches, according to the journal of Neotropical Ichthyology.