Description:
Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total):
9; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 5; Vertebrae: 29.
Pseudacanthicus pitanga is distinguished
from its congeners (except P.
leopardus) by
its colour pattern with intense orange to red fins
( vs. dark background colour with white spots in P.
serratus
and P. fordii or grey background colour with
black blotches in P.
histrix
and P.
spinosus ); distinguished from P.
leopardus by the presence of dark blotches anostomosing
to form continuous zigzag bands alongside longitudinal
keels; absence of blotches on ventral surface of body;
faint blotches on head and all fins with orange to
red colour on unbranched ray and sometimes on subsequent
branched rays ( dark blotches conspicuous, never anostomosed;
large dark blotches on ventral surface; conspicuous
dark blotches on head; and red colour restricted to
dorsal and caudal fin rays ); Pseudacanthicus
pitanga can be further diagnosed from congeners
by the following combination of osteological characters:
contact of sphenotic with 6th infraorbital absent,
lateral surface of metapterigoid channel triangular
(vs. rounded in remaining species), posterior area
of contact between cleithrum and coracoid ventrally
expanded (vs. straight in remaining species). The
Pseudacanthicus genera have the common name
of Cactus catfishes due to their bodies being covered
with spiny odontodes. Their mouths are small with
a few bicuspid teeth in the jaws. Aquarium
Care: Pseudacanthicus can be highly
territorial especially when adult, so a large aquarium
of at least 5ft (150cm) would be beneficial to this
species.Provide plenty of shelters
in the aquarium and line -of- sight barriers if more
than one species is kept. Diet: As
with all of this genera they are carnivores and would
need to be fed on frozen foods such as Artemia,
mosquito larvae, mysis and shrimp. They can also be
fed pellet and tablet foods. Remarks:
The Tocantins in Brazil is the only river where 3
species of Pseudacanthicus occur together,
P. pitanga, P.
major and P.
sp. (L079), (Mark
Henry Sabaj 2019).
Common
Name:
L024, Cactus pleco.
Synonyms:
None
Family:
Loricariidae
Distribution:
Brazil:
Rio Tocantins, Pará
Size:
35.0cm. (14ins)
Temp:
25-29°c (77-85°f)
p.H.
6.0-7.5.
Reference:
Chamon, C. C;
2015. Pseudacanthicus pitanga: a new species of Ancistrini
(Siluriformes: Loricariidae: Hypostominae) from rio
Tocantins Basin, North Brazil. Zootaxa 3973 (2): 309–320
www.mapress.com/zootaxa. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors.
2019. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication.
www.fishbase.org, ( 08/2019 ). Mark
Henry Sabaj pers. comm.
2019. ScotCat Factsheet no. 11. June.1997.
Seidel, I.
2008. Back to Nature guide to L-catfishes, Ettlingen,
Germany 208 p.
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