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Scientific Name Otocinclus mimulus  Axenrot & Kullander, 2003
Common Names Mimicry Oto
Gepunkteter Ohrgitter-Harnischwels (Germany), Mimicry-dværgsugemalle (Denmark)
Type Locality Small stream (arroyo) at Estancia María Belén, 8 kilometers from Colonel Patricio Colman, 25°40'13''S, 55°05'52''W, río Paraná drainage, Depto. Caaguazú, Paraguay.
Pronunciation auto SINK luss
Etymology Greek, ous, oto = ear + Latin, cinclus = latticework; in allusion to the holes of the head in the ears. mimulus, dimunitive of mimus (actor) a reference to its mimicry with Corydoras diphyes.
Hop to next section Species Information
Size 43mm or 1.7" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification Otocinclus mimulus is one of four Otocinclus species (O. arnoldi, O. flexilis, O. mimulus, and O. xakriaba) which can have dark blotches on a pale body. O. mimulus is most similar to and can be confused with O. arnoldi. O. mimulus is distinguished from O. arnoldi by having an elevated patch of enlarged odontodes on the postero-dorsal parieto-supraoccipital tip (vs. having a patch of enlarged odontodes on the parietosupraoccipital, and the patch is not elevated).
Sexing Females are larger and broader especially when viewed from above.
General Remarks Mimics Corydoras diphyes. However this mimicry is unusual because the two species occupy different microhabitats and it is hypothesized to operate with a primarily visual predator moving between the microhabitats, tentatively identified as the cichlid Crenicichla lepidota.
Hop to next section Habitat Information
Distribution South America: tributaries of río Monday, a right bank tributary of the río Paraná in Paraguay.
La Plata, Paraná, Monday (click on these areas to find other species found there)

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IUCN Red List Category Near Threatened, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2021.
Other Parameters Per the original description, collected from a small stream with dark, slightly turbid water. The substrate was soft with abundant leaf litter and branches.
Hop to next section Husbandry Information
Breeding Unreported.
Breeding Reports There is no breeding report.
Hop to next section Further Information
Reference Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters v. 14 (no. 3), pp 251, Fig. 1.
Registered Keepers There is no registered keeper.
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Last Update 2023 Aug 12 00:08 (species record created: 2010 Jul 13 09:29)