Ancistrus martini
| Ancistrus martini | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Division: | Teleostei |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Loricariidae |
| Genus: | Ancistrus |
| Species: | A. martini |
| Binomial name | |
| Ancistrus martini | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Ancistrus martini 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 found in Colombia and Venezuela.
Taxonomy
Ancistrus martini was first formally described in 1944 by the American ichthyologist Leonard Peter Schultz, with its type locality given as the Táchira River, 7 km (4.3 mi) north of San Antonio, in the Catatumbo River system in Venezuela.[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 martini is classified in the genus Ancistrus, a name coined by Rudolf Kner, but when he proposed the genus he 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, martini, honours the geologist Bethea Martin of the Lago Petroleum Corporation, who assisted Schultz when he collected fishes in Venezuela.[5]
Description
Ancistrus martini reaches a standard length of 8.9 cm (3.5 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]
Distribution
Ancistrus martini has a wide distribution in the upper reaches of the rivers in the Sierra de Perija and in the Merida mountain range of the Maracaibo Basin, in north-western Venezuela. It has also been reported from the Colombian Caribbean. This species is found in streams with clear water, a stony bottom and where it grazes on periphyton growing on the stones.[1]
References
- 1 2 Perez, A. (2023). "Ancistrus martini". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2023 e.T178663055A178663066. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T178663055A178663066.en. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Ancistrus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 31 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 31 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 31 May 2026.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ancistrus martini". FishBase. February 2026 version.
- ↑ "Cat-eLog LORICARIIDAE Hypostominae Ancistrus martini". PlanetCatfish.com. Retrieved 31 May 2026.