Ancistrus montanus

Ancistrus montanus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Division: Teleostei
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Loricariidae
Genus: Ancistrus
Species:
A. montanus
Binomial name
Ancistrus montanus
(Regan, 1904)[2]
Synonyms[2]
  • Xenocara montana Regan, 1904

Ancistrus montanus 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 Bolivia.

Taxonomy

Ancistrus montanus was first formally described as Xenocara montana in 1904 by the British ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan, with its type locality given as the Tumupasa, in the Andes of Bolivia, at an elevation of 1,500 ft (460 m).[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 montanus is classified in the genus Ancistrus, a name coined by Rudolf Kner but when he proposed the genus 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, montanus, means "of the mountains", the type locality being in the Andes Mountains in Bolivia.[5]

Description

Ancistrus montanus reaches a standard length of 9.2 cm (3.6 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 and habitat

Ancistrus montanus is endemic to Bolivia where it occurs in the basin of the Beni River. This catfish occurs in rivers and streams, living in clear water and feeding on periphyton.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Carvajal, F.; Maldonado, M.; Sarmiento, J. & Van Damme, P.A. (2023) [amended version of 2016 assessment]. "Ancistrus montanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2023 e.T58694012A244860556. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T58694012A244860556.en. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  2. 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 2 June 2026.
  3. ↑ Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Hypostominae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ 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 2 June 2026.
  6. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ancistrus montanus". FishBase. February 2026 version.
  7. ↑ "Cat-eLog LORICARIIDAE Hypostominae Ancistrus montanus". PlanetCatfish.com. Retrieved 2 June 2026.