Description:
Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total):
7; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays.Presence
of numerous fleshy oval flaps along the border of
lower lip and several small papillae. Long male pectoral
fin. Dorsal profile of body gently arched from snout
tip to dorsal fin origin. Body mostly straight and
tapering slightly to caudal fin base. Body and caudal
peduncle mostly rounded in cross section, slightly
flattened ventrally and more compressed caudally.
Abdomen with small patches of platelets between pelvic
fins, and larger patches between pectoral fins. Narrow
band of minute platelets along area between pectoral
and pelvic fin origins. Minute platelets on middle
of platelets. Cheek plates present on lateral margins
of head; snout plates reduced to few granular platelets,
snout tip with oval naked area. Snout broad and rounded
anteriorly; slightly convex anterior to nares. Body
progressively narrow caudally from cleithrum. Head
slightly concave between orbits; dermal plates not
carinate; upper margin of orbits (dorsolateral margin
of frontal and sphenotic bones) slightly elevated.
Eyes large, dorsolaterally placed. Lips well developed,
occupying most of ventral surface of head. Lower lip
mostly covered by papillae. Border of lower lip with
about 28-30 fleshy oval flaps and small papillae.
Maxillary barbel short, triangular. Teeth small, bifid;
inner cusp large, bladelike, and slightly rounded;
lateral cusp minute, pointed, approximately 1/3 length
of major cusp. Premaxillary teeth 58-72, mean 64.
Dentary teeth 60-86, mean 70. Interopercle region
armed with 35-40 hypertrophied evertible odontodes
with curved tips, longest odontode 1.5 times eye diameter.
Dorsal fin origin at same vertical line through pelvic
fin base; nuchal plate and dorsal fin spinelet present.
Tip of last branched dorsal fin ray reaching or almost
reaching adipose fin base. Pectoral fin with strong
spine covered with hypertrophied odontodes with subtly
curved tips on outer margin. Pectoral fin sometimes
reaching tip of pelvic fin spine in mature males.
Pectoral fin and odontodes in males larger than in
females. Pelvic fin surpassing anal fin origin when
depressed. First anal fin pterygiophore not exposed.
Caudal fin I, 14, I. Colouration:
(in alcohol): head dark grey, dorsally and laterally
with numerous dark spots; dorsal and lateral plates
of body dark grey with dark spots larger than head
spots; ventral surface of head and abdomen whitish,
without dark spots; all fins dark grey with large
dark spots on fin spines and occasionally on membranes
between fin rays, but never on branched rays; spots
less numerous towards caudal peduncle. Aquarium
Care: Good aquarium habitants for a large
tank and you can also house more than one species.
They like water movement in the aquarium. Diet:
Mainly a vegetarian diet but can also be fed tablet
foods and frozen and live foods such as mosquito larvae,
brine shrimp and shrimps. Remarks:
Hemiancistrus is also known in some literature
as Ancistomus but is also similar to the
Peckoltia genera but has a longer body and
a naked ventral region.
Common
Name:
None
Synonyms:
None
Family:
Loricariidae
Distribution:
South America:
Rio Tubarão drainage in Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Type Locality: Brazil: Santa Catarina:
Braço do Norte: rio Braço do Norte,
downstream dam (tributary of rio Tubarão),
approx. 28º16'38"S 49º11'1"W.
Size:
28.5cm. (11¼ins)
Temp:
25-29°c (77-85°f.)
p.H.
6.0-7.2.
Reference:
Cardoso, A.R.,
2004. Hemiancistrus megalopteryx, a new species of
loricariid catfish from the rio Tubarao drainage,
Santa Catarina State, Brazil (Teleostei: Siluriformes:
Loricariidae). Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 15(2):173-178. Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist
of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes),
and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa
1418:1-628. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors.
2016. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication.
www.fishbase.org, ( 10/2016 ).
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