Ancistrus mullerae
| Ancistrus mullerae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Division: | Teleostei |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Loricariidae |
| Genus: | Ancistrus |
| Species: | A. mullerae |
| Binomial name | |
| Ancistrus mullerae | |
Ancistrus mullerae 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 Brazil.
Taxonomy
Ancistrus mullerae was first formally described in 2009 by the Brazilian ichthyologists Alessandro Gasparetto Bifi, Carla Simone Pavanelli and Cláudio Henrique Zawadzki with its type locality given as Três Barras do Paraná on the Guaraní River, a tributary of the Iguaçu River, at 25°25'29"S, 53°07'30"W, in the Brazilian state of Paraná.[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 mullerae 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, mullerae, honours the Swiss ichthyologist Sonia Fisch-Muller, of the Natural History Museum of Geneva, for her contributions to the study of the fishes in the genus Ancistrus.[5]
Description
Ancistrus mullerae has an elongated body and it reaches a standard length of 12.5 cm (4.9 in). It has a dorsal fin which is supported by 1 spine and 7 soft rays and an anal fin containing 1 spine and 3 or 4 soft rays.[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 mullerae is endemic to Brazil, where it occurs in the lower Iguaçu River basin, above the Iguaçu Falls in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná.[1]
Biology
Ancistrus mullerae feeds on detritus and algae.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio) (2022). "Ancistrus mullerae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2022 e.T134660295A134660304. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T134660295A134660304.pt. Retrieved 2 June 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 2 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 25 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 2 June 2026.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ancistrus mullerae". FishBase. February 2026 version.
- ↑ "Cat-eLog LORICARIIDAE Hypostominae Ancistrus mullerae". PlanetCatfish.com. Retrieved 2 June 2026.