Ancistrus maximus
| Ancistrus maximus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Division: | Teleostei |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Loricariidae |
| Genus: | Ancistrus |
| Species: | A. maximus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ancistrus maximus | |
Ancistrus maximus 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 Brazil.
Taxonomy
Ancistrus maximus was first formally described in 2015 by the Brazilian ichthyologists Renildo Ribeiro de Oliveira, Jansen Alfredo Sampaio Zuanon, Cláudio Henrique Zawadzki and Lucia Helena Rapp Py-Daniel, with its type locality given as the Macoari stream, tributary to right side of Branco River at Rorainópolis in the Brazilian state of Roraima, at 1°09'12.1"S, 61°50'40.8"W.[1] Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes classified the genus Ancistrus in the subfamily Hypostominae, the suckermouth catfishes, within the suckermouth armored catfish family Loricariidae.[2] It has also been classified in the tribe Ancistrini by some authorities.[3]
Etymology
Ancistrus maximus 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, maximus, means "large" or "great", an allusion to the large size of this catfish in comparison with related species.[4]
Description
Ancistrus maximus has its dorsal fin supported by 2 spines and 8 soft rays while its anal fin contains 5 soft rays. It has 8 branched rays in the dorsal fin, which is more than other related catfishes. The background colour is dark brown marked with reddish-orange spots that are nearly half the diameter of the pupil in adults and with the juveniles having reddish-orange bands on the distal portion of the dorsal and caudal fins. This species also has no hypertrophied odontodes on its lateral plates. This catfish reaches a standard length of 20.1 cm (7.9 in).[5]
Distribution
Ancistrus maximus is endemic to Brazil where it occurs in the drainage system of the Branco River in Roraima.[1]
References
- 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 1 June 2026.
- ↑ Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Hypostominae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 1 June 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 1 June 2026.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ancistrus maximus". FishBase. February 2026 version.