Hypoptopoma

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Hypoptopoma
Hypoptopoma inexspectatum

Hypoptopoma inexspectatum

Systematics
Sub-cohort : Ostariophysi
Order : Catfish (Siluriformes)
Subordination : Loricarioidei
Family : Armored catfish (Loricariidae)
Subfamily : Hypoptopomatinae
Genre : Hypoptopoma
Scientific name
Hypoptopoma
Günther , 1868

Hypoptopoma is a genus in the family of loricariids (Cichlidae) from the previously 15 species have been described. The scientific name is made up of the Greek hypo = "under", optoma = "see" and poma = "lid / gill lid". The German name is Riesen-Ohrgitterharnischwelse. Depending on the type, overall lengths between 3.5 and 10.5 cm are achieved.

features

Hypoptopoma differs from other genera of armored catfish , among other things, by a laterally widened neck plate. Only Hypoptopoma and the genus Oxyropsis ( e.g. Oxyropsis carinata , formerly Hypoptopoma carinatum ) also have, compared to other catfish, a strongly flattened head with ventrolaterally positioned, protruding and thus visible from the underside of the body.

distribution and habitat

Hypoptopoma are widespread in the Amazon basin , they also occur in the Orinoco basin , the Guayana shield and south to the Rio de la Plata basin. They live in rivers (often in white water rivers ) with muddy to sandy soils and little vegetation. There they stick with their suckers to the roots, branches, stems and leaves of the bank vegetation standing in the water or protruding into the water.

nutrition

Hypoptopoma feed on vegetal and animal growth, which they graze with their suckers.

Reproduction

There is no reliable information about courtship behavior. Hypoptopoma pairs spawn a small number of about 1 mm large, light green eggs on smooth solid surfaces, which are laid in rows.After about three days, about 3 mm large larvae hatch from the eggs actively guarded by the male, which have a light green yolk sac. The larvae initially stick to the place where they hatch, which they leave after a further 24 hours by fidgeting swimming movements. Brood care ends with free swimming.

Systematics

literature

  • Adriana E. Aquino, Scott Allen Schaefer: Systematics of the Genus Hypoptopoma Günther, 1868 (Siluriformes, Loricariidae) . Issue 336, American Museum of Natural History, 2010.
  • Hans-Georg Evers, Ingo Seidel: Catfish Atlas: Volume 1 . Mergus Verlag, 2005, ISBN 978-3882440645 .
  • Wendenburg, H. (1997): eardrum catfish. Looking for Otocinclus in the Ucavali department, Peru . the aquarium (11): 22-26.

Web links

Commons : Hypoptopoma  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ Axel Zarske: Hypoptopoma carinatum and Oxyropsis carinata. In: Claus Schaefer, Torsten Schröer (Hrsg.): The large lexicon of aquaristics. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8001-7497-9 , pp. 507 and 734.