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Chaetostoma sovichthys Schultz, 1944

Image contributors to this species:

Mark Henry Sabaj (2)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

Aquarium Care: Will need a good water flow in the aquarium with a sand substrate and plenty of hiding places. The Chaetostoma species are not the easiest to maintain as the mountain stream species will need a water current to provide oxygen-rich water. The species that are exported usually originate from warmer waters so are a bit easier to keep than the mountain stream variety. Diet: Great algae eater, but you will have to subsidise this food with algae wafers and vegetable foods such as cucumber, zucchini and lettuce. Will also except tablet and worm foods. Sexual Differences: Males have better colour, a broader head and lips and adult males possess longer ventral fins than the females. Etymology: The specific name sovichthys: In honour of Standard Oil Co. of Venezuela (SOV), for help while Schultz was a guest at the camps of the Lago Petroleum Corporation; ichthýs, fish.

Common Name:

None

Synonyms:

Chaetostoma anomala sovichthys

Family:

Loricariidae

Distribution:

South America: Lake Maracaibo, Motatán River and tributaries, Venezuela. Type locality: near the bridge over the Río San Pedro, a tributary of the Río Motatán, southeast of Mene Grande, in the Maracaibo basin; Venezuela.

Size:

7.5cm. (3ins)

Temp:

23-27°c (73-80°f.)

p.H.

6.0-7.0.

IUCN Red List

Despite being a relatively common species in the upper reaches of rivers, and having a wide distribution in the Maracaibo Basin, there are no studies on its bioecology or population dynamics and it is impacted by ongoing threats throughout parts of its range. However, the species is present in some protected areas such as National Parks, and as such it is currently assessed as Least Concern (IUCN 2023).

Reference:

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. 2016. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 10/2016 ).
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.

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

Chaetostoma sovichthys

Chaetostoma sovichthys
Dorsal view

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