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Nathan Lujan (3)

Habitat: Inhabits flowing water associated with large rock outcrops in main river channel. Description: Pseudancistrus pectegenitor can be diagnosed from all other Pseudancistrus by having 10-11 dorsal fin rays (vs7) and adpressed cheek odontodes reaching to three or more plates beyond the opercle in adults (vs. maximally to rear edge of opercle); from all other described Pseudancistrus except P. sidercus by having the plates of the ventral row of the caudal peduncle with dorsal laminae strongly concave, accentuating the medial keel of the ventral plate row (vs. ventral plate row slightly convex, Armbruster, 2005); and from all other Pseudancistrus except P. coquenani, P. orinoco, and P. yekuana by having large oral papillae proximally on each dentary just internal to the tooth cup (vs. papillae absent) Pseudancistrus pectegenitor can be further diagnosed from P. coquenani, P. orinoco, and P. yekuana by having a larger pectoral-fin spine (38.3-42.2% SL vs. 22-0,31.4) and from P. coquenani, and P. orinoco by having a a smaller head-dorsal length (5.6-6.8% SL vs. 8.0--12.2). Aquarium Care: Not the easiest species to maintain in the aquarium as it will need pristine water conditions with well filtered water which should not be too hard. Warm water should be the norm. Adult males are very territorial and will not get on with other large Loricariid catfish. Sexual Differences: Males have a broad head and posses long bristles along the edge of the snout. Diet: Aufwuch grazer, mainly vegetarian, with lettuce, spinach, cucumber and courgette (zucchini), vegetarian flake and tablets. Will eat other foods also such as insect larvae, zooplankton and soft wood but will need to be kept on a mainly green diet. Etymology: The genus name Colossimystax: Colossimystax is fromthe Latin colossicon for gigantic and mystax for moustache in reference to the very long cheek odontodes that look like a moustache, a masculine noun. The specific name pectegenitor: Derived from the Latin pecten (quill) and genitor (father), in reference to the hypertrophied odontodes of the snout, pectoral spine and evertible cheek plates, and the fact that one presumably adult male was collected while caring for a large brood of young. Remarks: Due to the paper by Armbruster, J. W., & Lujan, N. K. (2024) the genus name has now been changed from Pseudancistrus to Colossimystax. Hypostominae tribe-level taxonomy is revised with new recognition and cladistic diagnoses of previously proposed family-level names for the Acanthicus (Acanthicini), Chaetostoma (Chaetostomatini), and Hemiancistrus (Spectracanthicini) clades. This species can still be found on some online searches as Pseudancistrus pectegenitor.

L261

Pseudancistrus pectegenitor

Loricariidae

South America: Main channel of the Rio Orinoco above Raudales Autures and Rio Casiquaire in Venezuela.

24.0cm. (9½ins)

26-30°c (79-87°f)

6.0-7.0.

Armbruster, J. W., & Lujan, N. K.. (2024). 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), e240108.
Fish in the News 2024.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 02/2018 ).
K. Lujan, Nathan & Armbruster, Jonathan & Sabaj Pérez, Mark. (2015). Two new species of Pseudancistrus from southern Venezuela (Siluriformes: Loricariidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters.
Seidel, I. 2008. Back to Nature guide to L-catfishes, Ettlingen, Germany 208 p.