Description:
Dorsal spines (total): 2; Dorsal soft rays (total):
8 - 9; Anal soft rays: 6. Can be diagnosed from all
other members of the Chaetostoma group by
having plates on the tip of the snout (except for
a central region at the extreme anterior edge), but
lacking plates laterally on the head. Habitat:
Transancistrus santarosensis was originally
described from the lower Santa Rosa River drainage
on the Pacific slope of southern Ecuador, but reports
also exist from the Caluma, Cochancay, Tenguel, and
Jubones River drainages. Extent of Occurrence (EOO)
is estimated to be 32,211 km2. Diet:
This is a benthonic fish that inhabit in a substrates
of sand and/or small rocks. Their diet is based on
detritus and insects. Etymology:
The genus name Transancistrus: trans (L.),
over or beyond, referring to distribution of genus
across rivers draining Pacific slope of the Andes
Mountains in Ecuador; ancistrus, a root name for many
hypostomine genera that have clusters of enlarged
evertible cheek odontodes, from ágkistron (Gr.
äyklotpov) fishhook or hook of a spindle.The
specific name santarosensis: Named for its
type locality, the Rio Santa Rosa.
Common
Name:
None
Synonyms:
Cordylancistrus santarosensis
Family:
Loricariidae
Distribution:
South America:
Known only from the type locality, the Río
Santa Rosa (Gulf of Guayaquil drainage) near the southern
coast of Ecuador.
Size:
8.0cm. (3¼ins)
Temp:
20-25°c (67-77°f.)
p.H.
6.0-7.5.
IUCN
Red List
Population
size and population trend are unknown, but this species
is known from relatively few collections. Basin-wide
threats in the Guayas and Santa Rosa river drainages
include deforestation, agricultural expansion, mining
activities, urban expansion, and associated pollutants.
Existing threats are contributing to inferred continuous
declines in habitat quality. However, the direct impact
of existing threats have not been evaluated in detail.
Given a relatively broad range and no indication of
major range-wide declines in population status, T.
santarosensis is assessed as Least
Concern (IUCN 2021).
Reference:
Froese,
R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2024. FishBase. World
Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, (
06/2024 ).
Lujan, N.K., V. Meza-Vargas and R. Barriga-Salazar,
2015. Two new Chaetostoma group (Loricariidae: Hypostominae)
sister genera from opposite sides of the Andes Mountains
in Ecuador, with description of one new species. Copeia
103(3):651-663. Lyons,
T.J. 2021.
Transancistrus santarosensis.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species 2021.
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