PlanetCatfish.com - Ancistrus cirrhosus (Loricariidae) Cat-eLog

Cat-eLog Loricariidae Hypostominae Ancistrus | |

Male
Close-up of mouth
Close-up of "hook-like" evertible spines

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Ancistrus cirrhosus** (Valenciennes, 1836)
Common Names	Bristlenose Catfish Skægget Sugemalle (Denmark)
Type Locality	No locality.
Synonym(s)	Chaetostomus cirrhosus, Chaetostomus cirrhosus maculatus, Hypostomus cirrhosus, Typupiscis lujanensis
Pronunciation	an SISS truss
Etymology	The name Ancistrus is derived from the Greek word agkistron, meaning hook, in reference to the interopercular odontodes that are hooked. This specific epithet literally means hairy (cirrus=hair) and refers to its tentacles.
Species Information
Size	89mm or 3.5" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Mature males and sometimes females have soft tentacles (bushy fleshy growths) on the snout - this is unique to the genus Ancistrus.
Sexing	Males develop soft tentacles on the head and while sometimes females also do, it is never to the grand extent of those found on that of the conspecific male.
Habitat Information
Distribution	South America: Paraná River basin. La Plata, Paraná (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
IUCN Red List Category	Least Concern , range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2020.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Ancistrus should be fed mainly on vegetarian foods. Prepared foods include algae wafers and spirulina based sinking food. Vegetables such as courgette/zucchini, and (English) cucumber are an excellent addition to the diet, along with the odd, small amount of more meaty foods. User data.
Compatibility	A good complement to most aquariums, they are not aggressive to other species. Males may fight over territory if kept in too small a tank.
Suggested Tankmates	Appropriate with most community fish that aren't overly big or aggressive.
Breeding	All Ancistrus species are cave-breeders, where the male looks after the eggs and young fry.
Breeding Reports	There are 4 breeding reports, read them all here.
Further Information
Reference	Voyage dans l'Amérique méridionale, pp Pl. 7 (fig. 3).
Registered Keepers	There are 51 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There is but a single wish to keep this species, see who wants what.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 21 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
Forum BBCode

	Search for A. cirrhosus
	Look up A. cirrhosus on AquaticRepublic.com
	Look up A. cirrhosus on Fishbase
	Look up A. cirrhosus on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up A. cirrhosus on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.4.4.1940
Last Update	2025 Jan 01 12:06 (species record created: 2008 Feb 03 09:10)