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Scientific Name Sturisomatichthys festivus  (Myers, 1942)
Common Name Real Royal Farlowella
Type Locality Río Monay, 35 km north of Trujillo, Motatan system, Maracaibo basin, Venezuela.
Synonym(s) Sturisoma festivum
Pronunciation fess TIV um
Etymology (German)Sturio=Sturgeon + (Greek) soma=body + (Greek) -ichthys=fish. 
Hop to next section Species Information
Size 180mm or 7.1" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification Sturisoma and Sturisomatichthys can be difficult to tell apart. Older descriptions of the genera emphasized the length of the snout (elongated in Sturisoma), but this trait is not reliable across species. Recent analyses allow discrimination based on the abdominal plates, fin colors and lateral plates: Sturisoma has its central abdominal plates arranged in three clearly-defined longitudinal series; all fins (except sometimes pectoral fins) lack dark spots; and 20–21 lateral plates in median series. Sturisomatichthys has its central abdominal plates less organized, not arranged in clearly-defined longitudinal series; dark spots usually present on one or more of the dorsal-, pectoral-, pelvic, or anal-fins; and 15–18 lateral plates in median series. Furthermore, to date all Sturisoma are cis-Andean; most (but not all) Sturisomatichthys are trans-Andean.
Hop to next section Habitat Information
Distribution Venezuela: Maracaibo Basin
Colombia: Rio Catatumbo.
Lake Maracaibo (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Lake Maracaibo, Catatumbo (click on these areas to find other species found there)

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IUCN Red List Category Least Concern, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2021.
Temperature 24.0-28.0°C or 75.2-82.4°F (Show species within this range)
Hop to next section Husbandry Information
Breeding Unreported.
Breeding Reports There is no breeding report.
Hop to next section Further Information
Reference Stanford Ichthyological Bulletin v. 2 (no. 4), pp 100, Figs. 8-10.
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Last Update 2022 Nov 13 08:44 (species record created: 2002 Apr 06 00:00)