Hypancistrus yudja
| Hypancistrus yudja | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Division: | Teleostei |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Loricariidae |
| Genus: | Hypancistrus |
| Species: | H. yudja |
| Binomial name | |
| Hypancistrus yudja | |
Hypancistrus yudja, the ozelot pleco, 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
Hypancistrus yudja was first formally described in 2025 by the Brazilian ichthyologists Leandro Melo de Sousa, Erilda Barbosa de Sousa, Renildo de Oliveira Ribeiro, Mark Henry Sabaj Pérez, Jansen Zuanon and Lucia Helena Rapp Py-Daniel with its type locality given as the Xingu River's, main channel along the right bank at the site of the Pimental Dam, roughly 37 km (23 mi) southeast of Altamira in Pará, at 03°25'55.3"S, 51°57'23.6"W.[1] This species is classified in the genus Hypancistrus which is classified in the subfamily Hypostominae, the suckermouth catfishes, of the family Loricariidae, the suckermouth armoured catfishes, which is part of the suborder Loricarioidei within the catfish order Siluriformes.[2] This genus has also been classified in the tribe Ancistrini by some authorities.[3]
Etymology
Hypancistrus yudja is classified in the genus Hypancistrus, a name which is a combination of the Greek term "hypo", which means "somewhat" or "little", with Ancistrus, the type genus of the tribe Ancistrini, and is an allusion to Hypancistrus zebra, the type species, having fewer teeth than that genus. The specific name, yudja, refers to the group of indigenous people known as the Yudjá or Juruna who live in the vicinity of the Volta Grande do Xingu, these people dived to catch this species from the deep waters for the aquarium trade and both the people and the catfish are threatened by the construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric complex.[4]
Description
Hypancistrus yudja has 2 spines and 7 soft rays in its dorsal fin and a single spine and 3 or 4 soft rays in its anal fin. It can be told apart from other species in the genus by its tan background colour marked with brown saddle marks and blotches. This species reaches a standard length of 4.2 cm (1.7 in) and has a body with an angular cross section.[5]
Distribution and habitat
Hypancistrus yudja is only known from a 75km streth of the Xingu River at the Volta Grande do Xingu in Pará.[6] It occurs at depths below 15 m (49 ft) in the deepest parts of the Xingu's main channel, hiding among lateritic conglomerates.[5]
Conservation status
Hypancistrus yudja has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature but the species authors state that it could be classified as Crtically Endangered beuase almost all of its known range is affected by the construction of the Belo Monte Dam, drastically affecting the population of this fish.[6]
Utilisation
Hypancistrus yudja is known in the aquarium trade, and has been bred in captivity. In the aquarium hobby this species is also known bt the referencenumber L174 and as the spotted zebra pleco,[7] while another common name is false zebra pleco.[5]
References
- 1 2 Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Hypancistrus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- ↑ "Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes Classification". Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 24 July 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 (17 July 2026). "Family LORICARIIDAE: Subfamily HYPOSTOMINAE Kner 1853 (Suckermouth Catfishes or Plecos)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Hypancistrus yudja". FishBase. June 2026 version.
- 1 2 Leandro Melo de Sousa; Erilda Barbosa de Sousa; Renildo de Oliveira Ribeiro; et al. (2025). "Two new species of Hypancistrus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the rio Xingu, Amazon, Brazil". Neotropical Ichthyology. 23 (1). doi:10.1590/1982-0224-2024-00080.
- ↑ "Cat-eLog > LORICARIIDAE > Hypostominae > Hypancistrus yudja". PlanetCatfish.com. Retrieved 24 July 2026.