Parotocinclus maculicauda

Parotocinclus maculicauda
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Division: Teleostei
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Loricariidae
Genus: Parotocinclus
Species:
P. maculicauda
Binomial name
Parotocinclus maculicauda
(Steindachner, 1877)
Synonyms
  • Otocinclus maculicauda Steindachner, 1877
  • Parotocinclus steindachneri Di Caporiacco, 1948

Parotocinclus maculicauda is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Loricariidae, the suckermouth armoured catfishes, and the subfamily Hypoptopomatinae, the cascudinhos. This catfish is endemic to Brazil.

Taxonomy

Parotocinclus maculicauda was first formally described as Otocinclus maculicauda in 1877 by the Austrian ichthyologists Franz Steindachner with its type locality given as southeastern Brazil. In 1889 the German-American ichthyologist Carl H. Eigenmann and his ichthyologist wife Rosa Smith Eigenmann proposed a new subgenus of Hisonotus, Parotocinclus, with O. maculicauda as its only species, the type species by monotypy. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes classifies the genus Parotocinclus in the subfamily Hypoptopomatinae, the cascudinhos, within the suckermouth armoured catfish family Loricariidae.

Etymology

Parotocinclus maculicauda is the type species of the genus Parotocinclus, a name which is a combination of para, meaning "near", and the genus Otocinclus, the genus this species was originally thought to be a member of. The specific name, maculicaida, combines macula which means "spot", with cauda, meaning "tail", a reference to the sizeable spot at the front of the tail.

Description

Parotocinclus maculicauda reaches a total length of .1 cm (0.039 in). This species has a horizontal band along its sides which ends in a large spot on the front of the tail.

Distribution

Parotocinclus maculicauda is endemic to southeastern Brazil where it occurs in coastal rivers in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais and Paraná. This species is found in Atlantic Forest streams with clear water, rocks, logs and piles of dead leaves scattered over a sandy bed. P. maculicauda was mainly found in the middle part of the stream, in places with high water flow and hard substrates, such as rocks, logs, and branches.

References

  1. 1 2 Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio). (2022). "Parotocinclus maculicauda". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (in Portuguese). 2022 e.T186741A1817684. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T186741A1817684.pt. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Parotocinclus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  3. ↑ Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Hypoptopomatinae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 Christopher Scharpf (28 February 2026). "Family LORICARIIDAE: Subfamily HYPOPTOPOMATINAE Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1890 (Cascudinhos)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  5. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Parotocinclus maculicauda". FishBase. February 2026 version.