Rineloricaria latirostris
(Boulenger, 1900) |
his month (May, 2009) we stay with the Loricariidae family and
concentrate on a cooler water Pleco in the "Bristly whiptail
catfish" Rineloricaria latirostris.
In 1862 Bleeker in his description of Rineloricaria
also mentioned Hemiloricaria and it is now ascertained
that the latter occur in the warmer climes of South America and
Rineloricaria hail from the southeastern and southern
half of South America. Alongside the Ancistrus spp. this
genus is another that needs a complete rivision to sort them out.
The problems have been that a lot of the Rineloricaira
spp. were descibed in the last century and only loose locations
were assigned to each species.
This species is very good at camoflage
and the bottom image shows you the cryptic colours that it can
take on to merge with the substrate and surroundings.
They live in the flowing mountain streams
of the rain forrest so temperatures in the low end of the tropical
scale would be better, especially for breeding purposes. The species
that has been bred more often under this name is Rineloricaria
sp.
aff. latirostris which occurs near the city
of Rio de Janeiro and as such is easier to export.
Dorsal fin oppisite to the base of the pectoral
fins. Papillae and a protrusion of
the lips. Bicuspd teeth with pointed
tips.
Cryptic pattern to its surroundings
based on a cream/yellow boby colour. Belly
white.
Very peacfull inhabitant of a community tank
with cooler temperatures.
If you are thinking
of spawning them a seperate tank kitted out with PVC pipes (not
too large) for the placement of eggs would be a better option than
a community tank, although growing on a few in the main tank from
youngsters would suffice as they can be difficult to sex out when
young and only when they get sexually mature that you tell the sexes
apart. Articles on the breeding of Rineloricaria spp. can
be found in the breeding article section of ScotCat and can be viewed
here and here
| Sexual
Differences |
Difficult when young but
sexually mature males take on small bristles to the cheeks
and head area. The female is devoid of this.
|
| Feeding |
Omnivorous species but likes a good bit of
vegetable fare in their diet.
| Glossary
of Terms |
Dorsal fin:The
primary rayed fin(s) on top of the body
Papillae: A small fleshy projection, plural
papillae.
Bicuspd teeth: Ending in two points; a
tooth with two cusps or points.
Cryptic: Hidden, obscure, little seen.
Omnivorous: Pertaining
to both vegetable and flesh diet.
|
| Etymology |
Rineloricaria:
Rhine = file;
loricara = harness.
|
| References |
Evers, H.-G. &
Seidel, I: Mergus, Baensch
Catfish Atlas Volume 1, 1st English edn., 2005. Pp.944.
|
| Photo
Credits |
©
Hans-Georg Evers @ 
|
|
|
| Synonyms:
|
| Loricaria
latirostris, Loricaria paulina, Rineloricaria paulina |
| Common
Name: |
| Bristly whiptail catfish |
| Family: |
| Loricariidae |
| Subfamily: |
| Loricariinae |
| Distribution: |
| South
America: Upper Paraná
River basin.: Type locality: Southern Brazil,
Province São Paulo, Mogy-guassu River about 250 miles
inland of Santos. |
| Size: |
| 20cm. (8ins) |
| Temp: |
| 18-22°c (63-71°f.) |
| pH.: |
| 6.0 - 7.0 |
| Donation: |
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