Bushymouth catfish
| Bushymouth catfish | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Division: | Teleostei |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Loricariidae |
| Genus: | Ancistrus |
| Species: | A. dolichopterus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ancistrus dolichopterus | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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The bushymouth catfish (Ancistrus dolichopterus) 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 South America.
Taxonomy
The bushymouth catfish was first formally described in 1854 by the Austrian ichthyologist Rudolf Kner with its type locality given as the Manaus, Brazil.[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
The bushymouth catfish is classified in the genus Ancistrus, a name coined by Rudolf Kner when he proposed the genus but 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, dolichopterus, combines dolichos, meaning "long", and pteryx, meaning "fin", an allusion to the dorsal fin being as high as it is long, with its base having a length which is equal to the distance between it and the caudal fin.[5]
Description
The bushymouth catfish reaches a standard length of 14.5 cm (5.7 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 habit
The bushymouth catfish is best known from the Rio Negro basin but there are also records from the Amazon River and the Orinoco River and it has been recorded from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela. This is a demersal species which occurs in fast flowing streams with submerged timber.[1]
References
- 1 2 Salvador, G.N. & Lima, F. (2023). "Ancistrus dolichopterus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2023 e.T167809A186970878. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T167809A186970878.en. Retrieved 27 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 27 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 27 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 27 May 2026.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ancistrus dolichopterus". FishBase. February 2026 version.
- ↑ "Cat-eLog LORICARIIDAE Hypostominae Ancistrus dolichopterus". PlanetCatfish.com. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
External links
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ancistrus dolichopterus". FishBase. December 2011 version.