PlanetCatfish.com - Chaetostoma formosae (Loricariidae) Cat-eLog

Cat-eLog Loricariidae Hypostominae Chaetostoma | |

Juvenile
Video
Female - ventral view
Female - dorsal view
Male - ventral view
Male - close-up of ventral view
Dorsal view
Ventral view of upper body
Wild caught snub nosed
Eggs
Fry
Habitat : Rio Tulumayo
Habitat : Rio Tulumayo river bed
Juvenile
Video - Moment of egg hatching
Video - Five week old fry
Albino

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Chaetostoma formosae** Ballen, 2011
Common Names	L187B, Blonde Rubbernose Pleco L444, Blonde Bulldog Pleco, Blonde Rubber Pleco, Smuk Gumminæse (Denmark), Smuk Gumminæse-sugemalle (Denmark), Striped Bulldog Pleco, Striped Rubber Pleco, Striped Rubbernose Pleco
Type Locality	Caño Chuy, affluent of río Upía, Boyacá -- Casanare border, upper río Meta basin, Orinoco drainage, San Luis de Gaceno, Departamento de Boyacá, Colombia.
Pronunciation	KATE oh STOW mah
Etymology	Greek, chaite = hair + Greek, stoma = mouth. This species is named formosae, an adjective in genitive case derived from the latin formosa. The name honours Ballen's sister, Laura María Ballen, in recognition of her unconditional love and support to him.
Articles	- Shane's World Reproduction A Chance Spawning of Chaetostoma sp. (L444) - CotM 2012 February
Species Information
Size	103mm or 4.1" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	The genus Chaetostoma is not straightforward to identify, but as a general rule, the species has spines behind the gill-cover (interopercular odontodes), no plates on the abdomen, and aside from C. platyrhynchus also lack plates on the snout edge. Different from Ancistrus by not having fleshy tentacles on the snout. This particular species has spots only on the head. All fins are clear and each body armour plate is lined in black. The basic colouration is pale olive green. Aqualog shows this fish as L146/L146a and L187b. The real L146 (introduced in DATZ) is a rather unusually shaped but plainly coloured ancistrine loricariid also from Colombia. L187b is an Aqualog invention and only used here for reference/link back to the old Aqualog literature. Variously and incorrectly labelled as C. thomsoni and others. Some sources consider L444 the same as C. tachiraense. This may stem from a confusion about the Rio Tachira in the Rio Meta drainage, and the namesake river in the Maracaibo basin.
Sexing	The males have however a somewhat larger and broader head, slimmer ventral sides and disproportionately large pelvic fins. Perhaps the over-sized pelvic fins play a large role in the fertilization of the eggs. By inverting these over the clutch of eggs, they prevent the sperm cells being carried away too fast in the current.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Currently known from western piedmont tributaries of the upper río Meta and Guaviare basins, in departments of Meta and Casanare, Eastern Colombia, Orinoco drainage. Orinoco, Middle Orinoco, Meta, Upper Meta, Upía (click on these areas to find other species found there) Orinoco, Upper Orinoco, Guaviare, Upper Guaviare, Ariari, Güejar (click on these areas to find other species found there) Orinoco, Middle Orinoco, Meta, Upper Meta, Cusiana (click on these areas to find other species found there) Log in to view data on a map.
IUCN Red List Category	Vulnerable, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2020.
pH	6.8 - 7.8
Temperature	20.0-25.0°C or 68-77°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	Has more stringent demands on water quality than many plecos and requires highly oxygenated water when kept in warmer water. Medium hard water is also beneficial.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Omnivore. Will eat algae and small live or frozen food. Some individuals can be weaned onto pellet food although this usually takes some effort and trial and error on the part of the aquarist. User data.
Furniture	Worn smooth rounded or slightly flat fist sized rocks on a fine sand substrate.
Compatibility	A peaceful fish which can sometimes be a little territorial with its own species.
Breeding	See Shane's World Article
Breeding Reports	There are 2 breeding reports, read them all here.
Further Information
Reference	Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo v. 51 (no. 26), pp 384, Figs. 1 and 3.
Registered Keepers	There are 146 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There are 3 wishes to keep this species, see who wants what.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 41 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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Last Update	2022 Jan 22 09:50 (species record created: 2001 May 05 00:00)