AquaticRepublic.com - Chaetostoma vasquezi (Loricariidae) All Fishes

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All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Chaetostoma vasquezi** Lasso & Provenzano, 1998
Common Name
Type Locality	Raudales del Caño El Cambur, tributary of Rio Caura, Bolívar State, Venezuela.
Pronunciation	KATE oh STOW mah
Etymology	Greek, chaite = hair + Greek, stoma = mouth. The specific epithet vasquezi, in honor of Dr. Enrique Vásquez, for his pioneering contributions to Limnology in Venezuela.
Species Information
Size	187mm or 7.4" 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. Very little is known about this species, even to science. From its original description: Diagnosis. Chaetostoma vasquezi differs from the other species of the genus by the following combination of characters. Presence of a fleshy keel on the supraoccipital. Five patches of papillae in the oral cavity, distributed as follows: a patch of papillae behind each premaxilla, another in the center between the premaxillae, and a patch of papillae behind each dentary. Four to eight mobile odontodes in the interopercular region. Body color pattern uniform, light or dark brown. A black spot stands out on the upper edge of each orbital crest. Description. Head relatively triangular to rounded, the latter shape being more evident in adult specimens. Wide snout, the edge with a very large bare area that represents 18% to 47% of the head (average 27%). Presence of a small dermal keel in the posterior part of the supraoccipital. Low-elevated orbits, a black spot on the orbital crest surrounded by minute odontodes. Operculum with small rigid odontodes, more developed towards the bottom. Interoperculum with four to eight mobile hook-shaped odontodes. These are wider at their base and are curved towards the front, sometimes one or two may be wrapped in a fleshy sheath and present different levels of ossification. Bicuspid teeth, with the right cusp -seen dorsally- more developed than the left. Oral cavity with five papillary patches or projections: one behind each dentary, another behind each premaxilla, and one located medially behind the premaxillary symphysis. The papillary projections of the dentary may or may not arise from the same base, they are more developed than the rest and have one to eight papillae of different sizes; those of the premaxilla are less developed than those of the dentary, may or may not start from the same base and show from one to three papillae with different development; finally, the medial projection presents from one (more common) to six papillae. Underdeveloped rictus barbels. Small gill opening. Body plates without keels (25-26), with minute odontodes that reach greater development on the lower part of the latero-ventral plates; ventral plates situated at the level of the anal fin, smooth. Well developed fins. Pectoral I+6. The spine of the pectoral fin is strong, it has small odontodes more developed than the spines of the other fins, especially towards the rear. Its length slightly exceeds the middle part of the pelvic fins. Pelvic i+5, not reaching anal fin origin except in breeding males. The spine of this fin is softer than the pectoral one. Dorsal fin I+9, when extended backwards, usually does not reach the origin of the adipose fin. Anal fin ii+4 (10 specimens), i+5 (10 specimens). Caudal fin i+14+i, slightly emarginate. Coloration. The specimens preserved in alcohol show the entire dorsal surface, including the fins, dark brown. In individuals with a longer preservation time, the brown hue is much lighter. All specimens have a small black spot on the orbital crest. Ventral surface with whitish-yellow preanal region. The postanal region is brown, lighter than the back. Paired fins with rays darker than interradial membranes. Dorsal with the tip of the first two rays of slightly perceptible reddish-orange color. Caudal with the tip of the first two or three rays of the upper lobe and the first ray of the lower lobe also orange-reddish, more marked than in the dorsal fin.
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.
Habitat Information
Distribution	South America: Orinoco, Caura and Caroni River basins in Venezuela. Orinoco, Lower Orinoco, Caroni (click on these areas to find other species found there) Orinoco, Lower Orinoco, Caura (click on these areas to find other species found there) Orinoco, Lower Orinoco (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 2017.
Other Parameters	Both the Caura and Caroní rivers are blackwater rivers, with pH 4.7-6.9 and conductivity that varies between 6.2 to 22.4 µs/cm.
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.
Further Information
Reference	Memoria, Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales v. 57 (no. 147) (for Jan.-June 1997), pp 55, Fig.
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 is but a single record of this fish being seen, view it.
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Last Update	2022 Jul 02 01:37 (species record created: 2017 Jan 04 13:58)