Ancistrus caucanus
| Ancistrus caucanus | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Division: | Teleostei |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Loricariidae |
| Genus: | Ancistrus |
| Species: | A. caucanus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ancistrus caucanus | |
Ancistrus caucanus is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Loricariidae, the suckermouth armoured catfishes, and the subfamily Hypostominae, the suckermouth catfishes. This catfish is endemic to Colombia.
Taxonomy
Ancistrus caucanus was first formally described in 1943 by the American zoologist Henry Weed Fowler with its type locality given as Sonsón in the Cauca River drainage system of Colombia.[2] Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes classified the genus Ancistrus in the subfamily Hypostominae, the suckermouth catfishes, within the suckermouth armored catfish family Loricariidae.[3] It has also been classified in the tribe Ancistrini by some authorities.[4]
Etymology
Ancistrus caucanus is classified in the genus Ancistrus, a name coined by Rudolf Kner when he proposed the genus but Kner did not explain the etymology of the name. It is thought to be from the Greek ágkistron, meaning a "fish hook" or the "hook of a spindle", a reference to the hooked odontodes on the interopercular bone. The specific name, caucanus, means "from the Cauca", this is a misnomer as the species actually occurs in the Magdalena River system.[5]
Description
Ancistrus caucanus reaches a standard length of 5.2 cm (2.0 in).[6] Ancistrus species develop soft, bushy tentacles on the snout when sexually mature, these are better developed in the males than they are in females.[7] Preserved specimens of this catfish show some white spots or blotches, the pale caudal fin has irregularly shaped black spots arranged in 4 or 5 bands; the plates along the lateral line have normal sized odontodes which mostly point rearwards and the plates do not overlap. The pectoral fin extends past the centre of the pelvic fin base when flattened and there is a single plate in front of the adipose fin and the flattened dorsal fin extends to that plate. Caudal fin light-colored with dark spots that often align to form vertical or oblique bars. The snout is over half the length of the head and the eye is just smaller than the length of the snout.[8]
Distribution and habit
Ancistrus caucanus is found in South America where it occurs in the Magdalena River in Colombia where it is found in torrential streams.[1]
References
- 1 2 Lasso, C.; Mesa-Salazar, L. & Sanchez-Duarte, P. (2016). "Ancistrus caucanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T49830323A61473898. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T49830323A61473898.en. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- 1 2 Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Ancistrus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Hypostominae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ Armbruster, J. W. and N. K. Lujan (2025). "New tribe-level classification of Hypostominae (Loricariidae) based on optimization of morphological states on DNA-based relationships, with descriptions of three new tribes and two new genera". Neotropical Ichthyology. 22 (4)): 1–32. doi:10.1590/1982-0224-2024-0108.
- ↑ Christopher Scharpf (18 January 2026). "Family LORICARIIDAE: Subfamily HYPOSTOMINAE Kner 1853 (Suckermouth Catfishes or Plecos)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ancistrus caucanus". FishBase. February 2026 version.
- ↑ "Cat-eLog LORICARIIDAE Hypostominae Ancistrus caucanus". PlanetCatfish.com. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ Taphorn, Donald; Armbruster, Jonathan; Villa-Navarro, Francisco & Ray, C. (2013). "Trans-Andean Ancistrus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae)". Zootaxa. 3641 343. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3641.4.2.