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Danny Blundell (1) Robin Warne (2) Yann Fulliquet (7) Melaine Riddell (2)

Description: Dorsal spines (total): 2; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7; Anal spines: 1; Anal soft rays: 3 - 4. Ventral surface from head to anus largely naked in adults, few small platelets on skin ventral to pectoral girdle. Lateral plates unkeeled although ventral row may have moderately elongate odontodes forming 1 or more keel-like rows on caudal peduncle. Cheek plates with 20-40 hypertrophied odontodes in adults. Caudal fin emarginate. Lateral line plates 22-24; below dorsal fin 7-8; interdorsal 3-5; adipose caudal 8-10; postanal 11-13; caudal peduncle 5. Now known as the true Hypancistrus inspector. Shown in Aqualog and Datz as L201  which is a different species that has a more squat body shape. H. debilittera, (L129) H. furunculus (L199) and H. lunaorum (L339). Can be confused with H. lunaorum and H. contradens but known for its unusually large eyes, forked tail and the black edging to the dorsal and caudal fins. Colouration: Body colouration brown to black, with large white to yellow spots on the sides. Similar to the Panaque/Panaqolus and Peckoltia genera but have fewer and larger teeth in the lower and upper jaw. There can be differences in the colour and size of the spotted pattern in this species. Sexual differences: Males posses a broader and longer head and odontodes on the posterior part of the body, behind the gill covers and on the pectoral fin spines. The latter two are a lot shorter in the females. Aquarium Care: No problem with keeping in groups but only one Hypancistrus species to a tank as there has been reports of hybridisation. Diet: Omnivores, juveniles are keen on vegetable foods whereas adults are less so. Frozen foods such as brine shrimp, mosquito larvae and mussels as well as tablet foods. In its natural habitat specimens were collected from rocks and rapids. Stomach contents included algae and detritus; also seeds (dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous seeds).

Snowball Peckoltia

None

Loricariidae

South America: Amazonas, Rio Casiquiare, upper Rio Negro drainage, Venezuela. Type locality: ‘Río Casiquiare, Río Negro, Río Amazonas drainage, about 10 river kilometers above the Río Negro, below Solano, 1°58’N, 67°05’W, Dpto. Casiquiare, Amazonas, [Venezuela].

16cm. (6½ins)

23-29°c (73-85°f.)

6.0-7.5.

Armbruster, J.W., N.K. Lujan and D.C. Taphorn, 2007 Four new Hypancistrus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from Amazonas, Veneuzela. Copeia (1):62-79.
Armbruster, J.W., 2002. Hypancistrus inspector: a new species of suckermouth armored catfish (Loricariidae: Ancistrinae). Copeia 2002(1):86-92.
Seidel, I. 2008. Back to Nature guide to L-catfishes, Ettlingen, Germany 208 p.  
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2009.FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (06/2012).