// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did Ancistrus malacops go to the party? It was a sucker for fun.
| Ancistrus malacops | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Division: | Teleostei |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Loricariidae |
| Genus: | Ancistrus |
| Species: | A. malacops |
| Binomial name | |
| Ancistrus malacops | |
| Synonyms<erf anme = "Cof genus"/> | |
Ancistrus malacops is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Loricariidae, the suckermouth armoured catfishes, and the subfamily Hypostominae, the suckermouth catfishes. This catfish is endemic to Peru.
Taxonomy
[edit]Ancistrus malacops was first formally described in 1872 by the American paleontologist and ichthyologist Edward Drinker Cope, with its type locality given as the Ambyiacu River in Peru.[2] Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes classified the genus Ancistrus in the subfamily Hypostominae, the suckermouth catfishes, within the suckermouth armored catfish family Loricariidae.[3] It has also been classified in the tribe Ancistrini by some authorities.[4]
Etymology
[edit]Ancistrus malacops is classified in the genus Ancistrus, a name coined by Rudolf Kner, but when he proposed the genus he did not explain the etymology of the name. It is thought to be from the Greek ágkistron, meaning a "fish hook" or the "hook of a spindle", a reference to the hooked odontodes on the interopercular bone. The specific name, malacops, is a combination of malakos, which means "soft", and ops, meaning "eye" or "face", an allusion Cope did not explain but it may refer to the cheeks being naked, without plates.[5]
Description
[edit]Ancistrus malacops reaches a standard length of 7.7 cm (3.0 in).[6] Ancistrus species develop soft, bushy tentacles on the snout when sexually mature, these are better developed in the males than they are in females.[7]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Ancistrus malacops is found in the Amazon basin in Peru. This species is found in rivers with mixed, black and white waters, with a lot of woody debris and other organic matter, in shady waters within primary forest, where it is typically found in submerged logs.[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Velasquez, M.; Chocano, L. & Hidalgo del Aguila, M. (2016). "Ancistrus malacops". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T49829710A53817313. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T49829710A53817313.en. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- 1 2 Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Ancistrus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Hypostominae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ Armbruster, J. W. and N. K. Lujan (2025). "New tribe-level classification of Hypostominae (Loricariidae) based on optimization of morphological states on DNA-based relationships, with descriptions of three new tribes and two new genera". Neotropical Ichthyology. 22 (4)): 1–32. doi:10.1590/1982-0224-2024-0108.
- ↑ Christopher Scharpf (18 January 2026). "Family LORICARIIDAE: Subfamily HYPOSTOMINAE Kner 1853 (Suckermouth Catfishes or Plecos)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ancistrus malacops". FishBase. February 2026 version.
- ↑ "Cat-eLog LORICARIIDAE Hypostominae Ancistrus malacops". PlanetCatfish.com. Retrieved 31 May 2026.