Biology:Ancistrus malacops
| Ancistrus malacops | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Loricariidae |
| Genus: | Ancistrus |
| Species: | A. malacops
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ancistrus malacops (Cope, 1872)[2]
| |
| Synonyms<erf anme = "Cof genus"/> | |
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Ancistrus malacops 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 Peru.
Taxonomy
Ancistrus malacops was first formally described in 1872 by the American paleontologist and ichthyologist Edward Drinker Cope, with its type locality given as the Ambyiacu River in Peru.[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 malacops 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, lithurgicus, is an adjective derived from the Latin malacops, is a combintion of malakos, which means "soft", and ops, meaning "eye" or "face", an allusion Cope did not explain but it may refer to the cheeks being naked, without plates.[5]
Description
Ancistrus malacops reaches a standard length of 7.7 cm (3.0 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 habitat
Ancistrus malacops is found in the Amazon basin in Peru. This species is found in rivers with mixed, black and white waters, with a lot of woody debris and other organic matter, in shady waters within primary forest, where it is typically found in submerged logs.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Velasquez, M.; Chocano, L.; Hidalgo del Aguila, M. (2016). "Ancistrus malacops". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T49829710A53817313.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/49829710/53817313. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 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.
- ↑ 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/.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2026). "Ancistrus malacops" in FishBase. February 2026 version.
- ↑ "Cat-eLog LORICARIIDAE Hypostominae Ancistrus malacops". https://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=2017.
Wikidata ☰ Q5548983 entry
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