Ancistrus malacops is classified in the genus Ancistrus, a name coined by Rudolf Kner, but when he proposed the genus he did not explain the etymology of the name. It is thought to be from the Greek ágkistron, meaning a "fish hook" or the "hook of a spindle", a reference to the hooked odontodes on the interopercular bone. The specific name, malacops, is a combination of malakos, which means "soft", and ops, meaning "eye" or "face", an allusion Cope did not explain but it may refer to the cheeks being naked, without plates.
Description
Ancistrus malacops reaches a standard length of 7.7cm (3.0in). Ancistrus species develop soft, bushy tentacles on the snout when sexually mature, these are better developed in the males than they are in females.
Distribution and habitat
Ancistrus malacops is found in the Amazon basin in Peru. This species is found in rivers with mixed, black and white waters, with a lot of woody debris and other organic matter, in shady waters within primary forest, where it is typically found in submerged logs.
↑Armbruster, J. W. and N. K. Lujan (2025). "New tribe-level classification of Hypostominae (Loricariidae) based on optimization of morphological states on DNA-based relationships, with descriptions of three new tribes and two new genera". Neotropical Ichthyology. 22 (4)): 1–32. doi:10.1590/1982-0224-2024-0108.
