All FishesLoricariidaeHypostominaeChaetostoma  |  | 

Hop to next section All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name Chaetostoma thomsoni  Regan, 1904
Common Names Fin Banded Rubbernose
Finnestribet Gumminæse-sugemalle (Denmark)
Type Locality Villeta, Colombia.
Synonym(s) Chaetostomus thomsoni
Pronunciation KATE oh STOW mah
Etymology Greek, chaite = hair + Greek, stoma = mouth. The specific epithet, thomsoni, is named for Mr. Kay Thomson, who collected the original specimens in Villeta.
Hop to next section Species Information
Size 101mm or 4" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification The genus Chaetostoma is not straightforward to identify, but as a general rule, the species has spines behind the gill-cover (interopercular odontodes), no plates on the abdomen, and aside from C. platyrhynchus also lack plates on the snout edge. Different from Ancistrus by not having fleshy tentacles on the snout.

Miles describes this fish as, "body and fins 'unicolor' or with little pigmentation."
Sexing The males have however a larger and broader head, slimmer ventral sides and disproportionately large pelvic fins. Perhaps the over-sized pelvic fins play a large role in the fertilization of the eggs. By inverting these over the clutch of eggs, they prevent the sperm cells being carried away by fast water current.
General Remarks The name C. thomsoni has been misapplied in the hobby for years. It is commonly used in the hobby for a small gray Colombian Chaetostoma with dark edging to its scutes and dark spots on the head and rostrum. Miles' description is of a fish with no dark markings. In fact, looking at the drawing of the holotype (above), C. thomsoni may in fact belong to the genus Lasiancistrus and not be a Chaetostoma at all.

Another complication is that the name Chaetostoma thomsoni has been misspelled in the aquarium hobby as Chaetostoma thomasi, leading to more confusion because fish continue to be sold using the name C. thomasi. There is no such animal as C. thomasi.
Hop to next section Habitat Information
Distribution South America: Magdalena River basin in Colombia.
Colombia Caribbean Rivers, Magdalena (click on these areas to find other species found there)

Log in to view data on a map.
IUCN Red List Category Least Concern, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2014.
Hop to next section Husbandry Information
Furniture Well rounded stones stacked to replicate a river bottom and provide caves.
Breeding Spawns in shallow, fast flowing water on the underneath of a flat object. Male, upside down, guards an adhesive clutch of eggs by, more or less, covering it with his body.
Breeding Reports There is no breeding report.
Hop to next section Further Information
Reference Transactions of the Zoological Society of London v. 17 (pt 3, no. 1), pp 250, Pl. 14 (fig. 2).
Registered Keepers There is no registered keeper.
Wishlists Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list.
There is no wish to keep this species.
Spotters Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars!
There are 2 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
Forum BBCode
Look up PlanetCatfish.com Look up C. thomsoni on PlanetCatfish.com
Look up on Fishbase Look up C. thomsoni on Fishbase
Look up on Encyclopedia of Life Look up C. thomsoni on Encyclopedia of Life
Look up on Global Biodiversity Information Facility Look up C. thomsoni on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
Chaetostoma thomsoni QR code LFS label creator
Last Update 2023 Aug 12 06:47 (species record created: 2006 Dec 24 07:33)