Ancistrus vericaucanus
| Ancistrus vericaucanus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Division: | Teleostei |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Loricariidae |
| Genus: | Ancistrus |
| Species: | A. vericaucanus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ancistrus vericaucanus | |
Ancistrus vericaucanus 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 vericaucanus was first formally described in 2013 by the ichthyologists Donald Charles Taphorn Baechle, Janoathan W. Armbruster, Francisco Antonio Villa-Navarro and C. Keith Ray with its type locality given as the Finca Santa Barbara, La Vieja River, in the Cauca River drainage in Valle del Cauca Department, Colombia, from an elevation of 1,278 m (4,193 ft) a.s.l.[2] Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes classifies 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 vericaucanus 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, vericaucanus, prefixies veri, derived from verus, which means "true", onto caucanus, a reference to A. caucanus which was incorrectly thought to be from the Cauca River. A caucanus is found in the Meta River and this species is the "true" Cauca species.[5]
Description
Ancistrus vericaucanus reaches a standard length of 7.2 cm (2.8 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 vericaucanus is endemic to Colombia where it is only known from three localities in the upper Cauca River basin in the departments of Valle del Cauca and Quindío.[1]
Conservation status
Ancistrus vericaucanus is classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because it is restricted distribution and is known from just three localities in the Upper Cauca Basin where it is threatened by pollution from agriculture and urban waste.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 Jimenez-Segura, L.; Alonso, J. C. & Mojica, J. (2016). "Ancistrus vericaucanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T64792617A64890565. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T64792617A64890565.en. Retrieved 13 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 13 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 13 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 13 June 2026.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ancistrus vericaucanus". FishBase. February 2026 version.
- ↑ "Cat-eLog LORICARIIDAE Hypostominae Ancistrus vericaucanus". PlanetCatfish.com. Retrieved 13 June 2026.