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Hypostomus taphorni (Lilyestrom, 1984)

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Description: Hypostomus taphorni can be distinguished from all other members of the H. cochliodon group by the combination of having a bicolored caudal fin (light above, dark below) and small spots on the abdomen. Some specimens tentatively identified as H. plecostomoides from northern Bolivar State, Venezuela, have a bicoloured caudal fin, but have medium to large spots on the abdomen. Placed in the Hypostomus cochliodon species group which have a shorter body and more high backed than other members of the Hypostomus. They have a small number of spatulate teeth with a single cusp with the jaws arranged in a V shape. Sexual Differences: Males grow larger and sport longer fins. Aquarium Care: Adults are rather intolerent towards other large Loricariid catfishes. Will give out a lot of waste in the aquarium so frequent water changes are a must. Fairly easy to keep in a larger tank over 4ft (120cm). Diet: Grazes on wood, so it needs soft wood in the aquarium. Food tablets, pellets and vegetable foods are also taken along with insect larvae. Etymology: The specific name taphorni: In honour of American ichthyologist Donald C. Taphorn (b. 1951), colleague, friend, and student of Venezuelan fishes (he also helped collect holotype). Remarks: Redescribed and included in Hypostomus cochliodon species group in Armbruster (2003a).

Common Name:

None

Synonyms:

Cochliodon taphorni

Family:

Loricariidae

Distribution:

South America: Cuyuni River basin, Essequibo drainage, Venezuela (Armbruster, 2003a), Rupununi River and Takutu River basins, Guyana (Armbruster & de Souza, 2005). Type locality: Río Botanamo, cerca del puente en la vía a Bochinche, Edo, Bolívar, Venezuela.

Size:

23.0cm. (9ins)

Temp:

24-27°c (75-81°f)

p.H.

6.0-7.5.

IUCN Red List

Hypostomus taphorni has a wide range in the Essequibo, Berbice, and Corantijn river basins, and the species appears to be tolerant of poor water quality. Therefore, it is considered Least Concern (IUCN 2023).

Reference:

Armbruster W. Jonathan; 2003. The species of the Hypostomus cochliodon group (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) Zootaxa 249: 1-60 (2003).
Armbruster, J.W. 2023. Hypostomus taphorni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023.
Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2015. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 11/2017 ).
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.
Weber, C., 2003. Loricariidae - Hypostominae (Armored catfishes). p. 351-372. In R.E. Reis, S.O. Kullander and C.J. Ferraris, Jr. (eds.) Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, Brasil.

Family: Loricariidae Back to Ident-A-Cat Click on Thumbnails

Hypostomus taphorni
Cuyuni River, Guyana

Hypostomus taphorni
Cuyuni River, Guyana

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