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Encyclopedia of FISH FAMILIES

Chain, or Loricarii soma (Loricariidae)

According to the degree of popularity immediately after the armor, chain mail catfish go. Their body is much wider in width than in height. These are real "knights of a strange image" ; Their body is entirely covered with polygonal bone plates, located in several (more often 4 - 5) rows, resembling roof tiles. All chain somes originate from South America and the adjacent part of Eastern Panama (Darien). They live in clean, transparent rivers with different currents. For recreation, they usually choose their own corners somewhere under the driftwood - both in the natural habitat and in the aquarium. Help soms at the same time their developed oral suckers. So, for example, they can stick to a smooth substrate so tightly that they can not be unhooked without injuring their mouth. Some types of chain-shaped catfishes occur at high altitude, in mountain reservoirs. They do not refuse meat, but their natural diet consists almost entirely of plants. Family Chain catfish includes several subfamilies and about 80 genera, consisting of more than 600 species. In recent years species have been discovered that were as yet unknown and possibly not scientifically described. Little known and new (Glyptoperichthys, Hypancistrus, Leporacanthicus, Uposarcus, Pseudacanthicus, Scobinancistrus) have been added to the names of genera known long ago (Ancistrus, Farlowella, Hypostomus, Loricaria, Otocinclus, Panaque, Peckoltia, Sturiosoma). In addition to species diversity, these fish differ in size and size; Among them there are 4-centimeter ( Otocinclus), and there are also half-meter giants (Hypostomus, Glyptoperichthys, Rnaque). The systematization of mail catfish is also difficult because the fish of the same species can be very different in patterns, and in fact the definition of the species is in principle based not on the color of the body and not on the figure. Therefore it is senseless to add to the name Nurostomus (a "Plecostomus" - it's just a synonym and does not matter) also the species definition of "ripstatus" only because its body is covered with a dot pattern. But fish of other species look exactly like that! This also applies to the differences between different species of the genera Farlowella and Sturisoma. Conventional chain catfish of the genus Hypostomus are not similar to the soma of the genera Glyptoperichthys, Uposarcus, Pterygoplichthys: in the dorsal fins, the first have more rays. In addition, in representatives of some species the dorsal fin itself is higher, which means that it is noticeably larger .

Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps

In other cases, the same can be said about the caudal fin. In large aquariums with the appropriate space for swimming, you can observe how quickly they can swim, for example, pursuing a rival, the fish of the above genera precisely because of the size of these fins. During the revision of the genus pteriglochthus (Pferygoplichthys), undertaken in 1 991 (WEBER), not only the definition of gibbiceps passed to the newly created genus glyptoperichthys (Glyptoperichthys). To the newly established genus Lipozarcus (Liposarcus, formerly a synonym for Pterygoplichthys) included such known species as L. anisitsi and L. multiradiatus. And in the genus Pterygoplichthys there were only three species, almost unknown in modern aquaristics. One of the most popular chain soms is the already mentioned brocade glypterpercht (Glyptoperichthys gibbiceps). Most often, it is possible to purchase young individuals 6 to 8 cm long with a beautiful dot or mosaic pattern. Unlike other catfish, which remain small, these grow though slowly, but constantly; A spacious aquarium is an indispensable condition. In too small aquariums for a long time to hold them will not succeed. This would contradict their natural development and would not become a testament to the love of the aquarist to the animal world. But with age, these catfish retain their beauty, so they can be regarded as decoration of a decorative aquarium. At the same time, their content does not cause much trouble, just do not expect that the grown up stomach will remain small! At least once a week they Should receive an additional portion of feed. And if you have two males in the aquarium, you can be sure: they will constantly fight with each other - and not in favor of the weak!

The one who keeps Peckoltia in the aquarium will meet with them only on special occasions: these fishes ( P. pulcher, P. vittata) lie all day in shelters and behave very cautiously when they leave them for a short time to take food.

Peckoltia vittatus, old male

Of the Panak family (Rapaque), only one known species is periodically imported: Panak royal ( P. nigrolineatus). It is closely related to hypostomies, but differs from them in a murine-gray primary color, along which there are lighter, wavy lines. Most imported fish originate from the central part of the Amazon basin.

Rapaque nigrolineatus

In recent years, various types of Ancistrus (Ancistrus) have also been imported , some of which have been managed and multiplied. But few of the aquarists are interested in what kind of species we are talking about. And really, it's quite difficult to install. Mainly in aquariums A. dolichopterus, A. cirrhosus and A. temminckii are the species that reproduce relatively well if they are provided with an elongated hollow tube (plastic, clay or bamboo). Antsistrs are active at night or at dusk, and in the afternoon they mostly hide in their shelters. They feed mainly on algae, but they take meat forage. In relation to other fish, they are completely harmless. In males, the anterior part of the head, as if overgrown with long tentacles (many of them split at the end), looks unusual, a remarkable sign for distinguishing between the sexes!

Ancistrus dolichopterus. In males that have reached puberty (and only have them!) On the front of the head grows a whole forest of villi and tentacles.

Sometimes imported and different types of chetostom (Chaetostomus). These are entertaining, fairly flat and wide soms, of which we do not yet know much about the differentiation of species. Among them are speckled, there are striped; With age, the front part of the head becomes wider. These inhabitants of South America are rather shallow, their final length is -10-1.2 cm. They also devour algae and are naturally equipped with an "apparatus" for scraping them . They live in fast waters, which can be recognized by the oral sucker on the underside of the head. Researcher Regan for one of the mottled species living in the upper Amazon, chose the name of the. Tasilatum: it is quite possible that this kind is offered to us in specialized stores.

Chaetostoma spec.

Farlowella (Farlowella) and Stryiosoma ( Sturisoma ) - genera, whose representatives in aquariums are usually called "needles" and "sharks". Many of their species are described, but it is difficult to distinguish between fish with a similar pattern in terms of appearance, so sometimes one has to doubt even the signatures under the photographs. Typical fawns are usually F. acus and F. gracilis, which is very simple for aquarists, but not entirely scientifically .

Farlowella spec.

Sturisoma spec.

Of the species that originally belonged to the genus Loricaria , during the revision of 1978 (Isbrucker) many were moved to other or newly formed genera, so that the closest relatives of the lorikaria are now divided by the genera Loricaria, Loricariichthys, Rineloricaria, Spatuloricaria, Dasyloricaria , Pseudoloricaria, Brochiloricaria and others. In only these genera more than 60 species are collected. They all look very similar. No wonder that aquarists do not even notice these names, not to mention the signs of difference. Because of earlier publications , old species names are still used in combination with the new genus name, for example, Rineloricaria parva , R. lanceolata, R. catamarcenis, Dasyloricaria filamentosa and Spatulocaria nudiventris. These small chain catfishes are found in different areas of the subtropics of South America. In fact, their length is up to 30 cm, but they can be considered "small." Here is what is interesting: representatives of the genera of fernovella and ototsinclus (Otocinclus) distinguish the presence of carapace on the lower part of the body, and in larger fish (Ancistrus, Hypostomus, Pterugolichthus) it is absent or there are only small plates. Here is this shell (which is also different in pattern) and serves to determine the species.

Rineloricaria spec.

Otocinclus flexilus

The small chain-shaped catfish of the above-mentioned species need, if possible, a shallow bottom soil so that they can burrow into it. The usual shelters are clefts, caves, a narrow space between the elements of the decor. It is known that they can breed in captivity. This applies, for example, to different species of the genus Otocinclus. They are part of the subfamily Nuroptopomatinae, and one can distinguish them by the fact that their eyes are far ahead, and in some species on the sides of the head, but very deep. About 15 species of this genus are described, and their old names are preserved; Thus, fish is often offered to us under a well-known name, which is actually wrong. Among such names is O. Affinis , O. flexilis and O. Vittatus. The latter can be recognized by a broad black band running from the upper lip to the tail root and ending there with a diamond-shaped spot.

Small catfish reach 5-6 cm in length. In their native biotopes they live , in rivers with a rapid current, where the water is clear and rich in oxygen, but rather cool (18-22 ° C). In the aquarium, they do not pay attention to their neighbors and eat a variety of both meat and vegetable food.