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Donald Taphorn (2)

Description: Ancistrus trinitatis can be separated from all other species in the region except A. brevifilis, A. leucostictus, and A. saudades by having large light spots or blotches on the dorsal and caudal fins; from all Ancistrus in the region by having black spots centered on the caudal-fin rays basally and white spots centered on the rays distally (vs. tiny white or yellow spots randomly placed, or large white spots centered on the membranes); from A. brevifilis by having the spots on the caudal fin generally smaller and better organized into rows (vs. at least some spots on the caudal fin combining across rows and running about half the length of the caudal fin); and from A. brevifilis, A. leucostictus, A. saudades, and A. triradiatus by lacking spots only on the dorsal fin rays (vs. spots centered on membranes). 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. Etomology: Named from the type locality of the island of Trinidad. Remarks: See comments on types and question about validity of species in Regan (1904b: footnote on p. 238; 1906: 95). Generic allocation based on Armbruster (2004a: 13), although Armbruster (2005: 567) suggests that even that is uncertain.

None

Chaetostomus trinitatis

Loricariidae

Trinidad Island, Trinidad and Tobago. Type locality: Trinidad. Syntypes: based on specimens reported on by Gill (1858: 409) as Ancistrus guacharote, possibly deposited at USNM, but whereabouts unknown.

10.0cm. (4ins)

22-27°c (71-81°f.)

6.0-7.2.

Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628.
Fisch-Muller, S., 2003. Loricariidae-Ancistrinae (Armored catfishes). p. 373-400. In R.E. Reis, S.O. Kullander and C.J. Ferraris, Jr. (eds.) Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, Brasil.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 10/2018 ).
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).