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Acanthicus hystrix

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Acanthicus hystrix
From the Xingu River (Altamira, Pará, Brazil)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Loricariidae
Genus: Acanthicus
Species:
A. hystrix
Binomial name
Acanthicus hystrix
Agassiz in Spix & Agassiz, 1829[2]
Synonyms[3]

Acanthicus hystrix, the lyre-tail pleco,[4] is a species of armored catfish native to the Amazon, TocantinsAraguaia and Orinoco basins.[2] It is typically found at various depths on a rock or rock–gravel bottom in the main channel of rivers in places with moderate to strong current,[2] although it also occurs in slow currents.[4] The species is occasionally seen in the aquarium trade, but its adult size and territorially aggressive behavior means that a very large tank is required.[4]

Appearance

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It grows to 62.8 cm (2.06 ft) in standard length,[2] but may possibly reach 100 cm (3.3 ft).[4] Its color ranges from medium-brown to near-black (especially those from the Madeira, Branco and Xingu rivers are dark), and the underparts often have a vermiculated pattern.[2] Some of the variants are commonly considered as separate, undescribed species in the aquarium trade (e.g., L193 from the Orinoco basin and L407 from the Branco basin; in the L-number system), but there is extensive overlap in the morphometrics of the different populations.[2] Unlike the polka dot lyre-tail pleco (A. adonis), A. hystrix never has white spots.[2] Adult males are especially spiny with extensive odontodes on the cheeks and opercle.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Salvador, G.N. (2023). "Acanthicus hystrix". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2023: e.T49830272A158549940. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T49830272A158549940.en. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Chamon, C.C. (2016): Redescription of Acanthicus hystrix Agassiz, 1829 (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), with comments on the systematics and distribution of the genus. Zootaxa, 4088 (3): 395–408.
  3. ^ "Acanthicus hystrix". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "Acanthicus hystrix". SeriouslyFish. Retrieved 31 October 2017.