Biology:Ancistrus leucostictus
| Ancistrus leucostictus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Loricariidae |
| Genus: | Ancistrus |
| Species: | A. leucostictus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ancistrus leucostictus (Günther, 1864)[2]
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Ancistrus leucostictus 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, as far as is known, endemic to Guyana.
Taxonomy
Ancistrus leucostictus was first formally described in 1864 by the ichthyologists Lesley S. de Souza, Donald Charles Taphorn Baechle and Jonathan W. Armbruster, with its type locality given as the Essequibo River in Guyana.[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 leucostictus 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, leucostictus, means "white-spotted" , an allusion to the small white spots that cover the body and fins.[5]
Description
Ancistrus leucostictus has white spots that cover the body and fins.[5] Ancistrus species develop soft, bushy tentacles on the snout when sexually mature, these are better developed in the males than they are in females.[6] This catfish reaches a standard length of 5.5 cm (2.2 in).[7]
Distribution
Ancistrus leucostictus is known only from Guyana in the middle and upper Essequibo River, and Demerara-Berbice River system. It may occur in the Cuyuni River basin in Venezuela. It is associated with large boulders and flowing water.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Calegari, B.B. (2022). "Ancistrus leucostictus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T176013131A176013144.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/176013131/176013144. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron; van der Laan, Richard, eds. "Species in the genus Ancistrus". California Academy of Sciences. http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatget.asp?tbl=species&genus=Ancistrus.
- ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron; van der Laan, Richard, eds. "Genera in the family Hypostominae". California Academy of Sciences. http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatget.asp?tbl=genus&family=Hypostominae.
- ↑ Armbruster, J. W.; 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.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Christopher Scharpf (18 January 2026). "Family LORICARIIDAE: Subfamily HYPOSTOMINAE Kner 1853 (Suckermouth Catfishes or Plecos)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. https://etyfish.org/hypostominae/.
- ↑ "Cat-eLog LORICARIIDAE Hypostominae Ancistrus leucostictus". https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=953.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2026). "Ancistrus leucostictus" in FishBase. February 2026 version.
Wikidata ☰ Q1997482 entry
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