Description:
Due to the recent paper (2018) by Lujan et al. this
is a new described genera. They erected the new genus
Avalithoxus for Lithoxus jantjae,
a species that is narrowly endemic to the Ventuari
River immediately upstream of Salto Tencua and is
unique in Hypostominae for having only 12 branched
caudal-fin rays. Lithoxus is restricted to
Lithoxus
lithoides from
the Essequibo and Correntyne rivers in Guyana and
Suriname. Aquarium Care: Quite a
demanding genera which need pure, oxygen rich water.
They need plenty of hiding places and the aquarium
to be very strongly filtered. Diet:
Insectivores that feed in their natural habitat from
insect larvae on rocks. Feed Frozen mosquito larvae,
brine shrimp and Daphnia. They will also
except tablet foods.
Common
Name:
None
Synonyms:
Lithoxus jantjae
Family:
Loricariidae
Distribution:
South America:
Known only from ~180 m a.s.l. in the Ventuari River,
immediately upstream of Salto Tencua in the central
region of Amazonas State, Venezuela.
Size:
4.0cm. (1¾ins)
Temp:
23-27°c (73-81°f.)
p.H.
6.0-7.5.
Reference:
Froese, R. and D. Pauly.
Editors. 2015. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic
publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 03/2016 ). Lujan, N.K., 2008. Description of
a new Lithoxus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the
Guayana Highlands with a discussion of Guiana Shield
biogeography. Neotrop. Ichthyol. 6(3):413-418. Lujan, NK; Armbruster, JW & Lovejoy, NR,
2018 "Multilocus phylogeny, diagnosis and generic
revision of the Guiana Shield endemic suckermouth
armored catfish tribe Lithoxini (Loricariidae: Hypostominae)"
(Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Vol. 20). Seidel, I.
2008. Back to Nature guide to L-catfishes, Ettlingen,
Germany 208 p.
Avalithoxus
jantjae
Holotype, MCNG 55349, 38.4 mm SL, Venezuela, Amazonas State,
Ventuari River upstream of Tencua Falls
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