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Paracanthopoma ahriman de Pinna & Dagosta, 2022

Image contributors to this species:

de Pinna, M. C. C., & Dagosta, F. C. P. 2022 (1)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

Paracanthopoma ahriman is a species of vampire catfish from the family Trichomycteridae. It was described in a 2022 taxonomic review of the vampire catfish genus Paracanthopoma by "de Pinna, M. C. C., & Dagosta, F. C. P." Habitat: It occurs in the upper Orinoco River basin, Venezuela. Species of Paracanthopoma are broadly distributed in the northern cis-Andean South American drainages, namely Amazon, Orinoco, and Essequibo, with a single locality also in the Upper Paraguay. Aquarium Care: Not easy to keep and would need to be housed on their own as larger fish would be preyed upon for their blood in the gill chambers. Sand is the best substrate for digging themselves into and floating plants to cut the light down for this light sensitive species. Diet: Very difficult as all reports seem to intimate that they need larger fish to feed on. Etymology: The genus name Paracanthopoma: pará (Gr.), near, referring to similarity to Acanthopoma (Stegophilinae), both of which possess united gill membranes that are free from the isthmus. The specific name ahriman: The name is from Zoroastrian religion, the oldest monotheism, and refers to Angra Mainyu (Ahriman in Persian), enemy of Ahura Mazda, creator of the universe. Ahriman is the maker of snakes, demons and all things evil from a human standpoint (thus, pre-sumably also candirus) and is approximately equivalent to, and probably historical ancestor of, the devil in Abrahamic mythology.

Common Name:

None

Synonyms:

None

Family:

Trichomycteridae

Distribution:

South America: Upper Orinoco River basin, Venezuela. Type locality: Río Autana at Playa Cucurito in front of caño Cucurito, Territorio Federal Amazonas, Venezuela, approximately 05°14'N, 66°10'W.

Size:

1.5cm (¾ins)

Temp:

23-26°c (73-79°f.)

p.H.

6.0-7.0.

IUCN Red List

Not evaluated

Reference:

de Pinna, M. C. C., & Dagosta, F. C. P. (2022). A taxonomic review of the vampire catfish genus Paracanthopoma Giltay, 1935 (Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae), with descriptions of nine new species and a revised diagnosis of the genus. Papéis Avulsos De Zoologia, 62, e202262072.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.

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

Paracanthopoma ahriman

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