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 marcapatae:Named
for the type locality of this Ancistrus;
Marcapata Valley, E. Peru.
Remarks:
First described as Chaetostomus marcapatae
by Regan and this name is still listed on some online
searches as this species but named correctly as an
Ancistrus by Lujan et al 2015 and also listed
as valid on Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes database.
Common
Name:
None
Synonyms:
Chaetostomus marcapatae
Family:
Loricariidae
Distribution:
Peru: Inambari
River basin in the Madeira River drainage. Type
locality: Marcapata Valley, E. Peru.
Size:
10.0cm. (4ins)
Temp:
22-27°c (71-81°f.)
p.H.
6.0-7.2.
Reference:
Ferraris, C.J. Jr.,
2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes:
Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary
types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628. Lujan, N. K., V. Meza-Vargas, V. Astudillo-Clavijo,
R. Barriga-Salazar and H. López-Fernández
2015 (25 Sept.) A multilocus molecular phylogeny for
Chaetostoma clade genera and species with a review
of Chaetostoma (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the
central Andes. Copeia 103 (no. 3): 664-701.
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