Scientific Name

Ancistrus temminckii  (Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1840)     

Common Name(s)

None

Type Locality

Suriname.

Synonym(s)

Hypostomus temminckii, Plecostomus aculeatus

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. Named to honour Mr. C.J. Temminck.

Size

98mm (3.9") 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.

What is identified as A. temminckii in the aquarium trade and some hobby literature nowadays is possibly A sp. (3) but the true origins of that fish is unclear. The real A. temminckii may have shown up in the trade in the past, but is almost never imported nowadays.

Sexing

Typical for the genus with males possessing the so-called ''bushy nose''. Females also may have much smaller growths on the head but to a much lesser extent.

General Remarks

There are no known type specimens for this fish.

Distribution

South America: Saramacca, Suriname, and Maroni River basins.
Guyana Waters, Coastal Rivers of Guyanas, Suriname Coastal Rivers, Maroni (hover or click on these areas to show maps or find other species found there)
Guyana Waters, Coastal Rivers of Guyanas, Suriname Coastal Rivers, Saramacca (hover or click on these areas to show maps or find other species found there)
Guyana Waters, Coastal Rivers of Guyanas, Suriname Coastal Rivers, Suriname (hover or click on these areas to show maps or find other species found there)

Temperature

21.0-24.0°C or 69.8-75.2°F (Show others within this range)

Other Parameters

dH°25

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.

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

Unreported.

References

Hist. Nat. Poiss.v. 15 - pp514

Registered Keepers

(1) Lornek8, (2) Blue (k: 5), (3) Yann (k: 3), who also notes: "Collected by myself in the Crique Margot near St Laurent du Maroni in French Guyana", (4) BooUrns! (k: 7), (5) juliemeikle, (6) catfish hippy man DS, (7) chochiss (p: 2), (8) Gillies (k: 2), (9) Lakatu, (10) TheSmurfinator (k: 5), (11) Crel (k: 4), (12) robert521 (p: 2, k: 6), (13) Boupette, (14) michaelg210 (p: 2), (15) wolverine2031 (k: 53), (16) LaMPPoST (k: 26), (17) greg & glenda.

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Breeding Reports

None.

More Resources

- Search Planet Catfish for more on Ancistrus temminckii
- BBcode (for use in linking to this page from forum posts)
- Look up Ancistrus temminckii on AquaticRepublic.com
- Look up Ancistrus temminckii on Fishbase, I.T.I.S. or ispecies search.
- URL (for use in linking to the species from anywhere on the web)

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Last Update

2008 Jan 02 03:27 (species record created: 2006 Nov 11 06:09)