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Adult males sport long tentacles on the anterior of the head which is unique to this family. Females usually have short tentacles around the mouth. Colouration: Dorsum dark grey, small cream to yellowish dots on plateless area of snout, top of head, tentacles and entire length of body. Dots on head more numerous, smaller and closer together on top of head than on dorsum of body. Sides of head of body dark grey with white dots to caudal fin. Ventrum of head and body white. Oral disk and adjacent area on chest light. Spines, rays and fin membranes grey with white dots. Caudal-fin spine, rays and fin membrane light grey with no dots (Souza, LS de. et al). Aquarium Care: The Ancistrus genera make good community fish where they do not grow too big for the aquarium. Some species have different requirements in the aquarium so best to read up on the species you have whereas if they need higher oxygen requirements or not, or if they prefer cooler waters if they originate from the southern parts of South America against the species from further up north. Diet: Vegetable foods such as cucumber and courgette and also tablet and meaty foods. Reproduction: The female lays her eggs in caves or crevices... that the male has chosen and cleaned.... as a cluster. The male usually then guards the eggs after ejecting the female. The fry then cling to the sides of the cave and when they use up their yolk sac, which is around the four to seven day period, they will be ready to feed on infusuria, vegetable matter, brine shrimp naupli or micro worms. In a community tank a few will survive if enough hiding places are afforded to them. Etymology: The specific name macrophthalmus: macro-, large; ophthalmus, eye, its diameter 5 times in length of head, compared to 6-7 times on the similar A. occidentalis (=malacops).

LDA074

Xenocara macrophthalma

Loricariidae

Venezuela: Upper Orinoco River system from the río Cinaruco and further upstream to the río Casiquiare. Type locality: l’Orénoque, Venezuela.

12.0cm. (4¾ins)

25-29°c (77-85°f.)

6.0-7.5.

Seidel, Ingo; Back to Nature guide to L-catfishes 208 p
Souza, LS de; Taphorn, DC & Armbruster, JW, 2019 "Review of Ancistrus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the northwestern Guiana Shield, Orinoco Andes, and adjacent basins with description of six new species" (abstract) (Zootaxa, Vol. 4552 No. 1).