Acanthicus hystrix

Acanthicus hystrix
From the Xingu River (Altamira, Pará, Brazil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Siluriformes
Family:	Loricariidae
Genus:	Acanthicus
Species:	A. hystrix
Binomial name
Acanthicus hystrix Agassiz in Spix & Agassiz, 1829[1]
Synonyms
Rinelepis acanthicus Valenciennes, 1840

Acanthicus hystrix, the lyre-tail pleco,^[2] is a species of armored catfish native to the Amazon, Tocantins–Araguaia and Orinoco basins.^[1] It is typically found at various depths on a rock or rock–gravel bottom in the main channel of rivers in places with moderate to strong current,^[1] although it also occurs in slow currents.^[2] The species is occasionally seen in the aquarium trade, but its adult size and territorially aggressive behavior means that a very large tank is required.^[2]

Appearance[]

It grows to 62.8 cm (2.06 ft) in standard length,^[1] but may possibly reach 100 cm (3.3 ft).^[2] Its color ranges from medium-brown to near-black (especially those from the Madeira, Branco and Xingu rivers are dark), and the underparts often have a vermiculated pattern.^[1] Some of the variants are commonly considered as separate, undescribed species in the aquarium trade (e.g., L193 from the Orinoco basin and L407 from the Branco basin; in the L-number system), but there is extensive overlap in the morphometrics of the different populations.^[1] Unlike the polka dot lyre-tail pleco (A. adonis), A. hystrix never has white spots.^[1] Adults males are especially spiny with extensive odontodes on the cheeks and opercle.^[1]

References[]

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