Cat-eLog Right Loricariidae Right Hypostominae Right Chaetostoma  |  | 

Down Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name Chaetostoma joropo  Ballen, Urbano-Bonilla & Maldonado-Ocampo, 2016
Common Name
Type Locality Meta, Mesetas, Resevera, Guaviare, rio Güejar, upper rio Guaviare basin, Orinoco River basin, Colombia.
Pronunciation KATE oh STOW mah
Etymology Greek, chaite = hair + Greek, stoma = mouth. joropo refers to a collection of musical styles that originated in the Llanos region of the Orinoco River Basin. It is one of the most characteristic cultural expressions among the criollos, the people who live in the Llanos Orientales.
Down Species Information
Size 125mm or 4.9" 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.

Chaetostoma joropo differs from all the species currently known in the Orinoco River Basin by having dark spots on head and body as well as on dorsal, pectoral and pelvic fins. However, there commonly imported species that also have dark spots. The spots seen on C. joropo are smaller than the orbital diameter (eye), the spots are relatively uniform in size from head to caudal peduncle and are more densely packed together on the head than on the body (but without altering spot size significantly to accommodate this more dense packing). Compared to other species, the spots on body are better organized in longitudinal rows. Only a few species of Chaetostoma present a color pattern consisting of spots on both the head and the body (C. anale, C. daidalmatos, C. lineopunctatum, C. milesi, C. strompoulos, C. trimaculineum and C. vagum). Chaetostoma joropo differs from these species except C. daidalmatos by having spots on the body that are larger (in diameter) than the spaces separating them from neighboring spots (vs. space between spots larger or equal to spot diameter in C. anale, C. lineopunctatum, C. milesi, C. strompoulos, and C. vagum). Chaetostoma joropo differs from C. daidalmatos by having spots that are smaller than the orbital diameter (vs. spots larger than orbital diameter). Finally, Chaetostoma joropo differs from C. milesi as follows: by having the spots on the head more densely packed together, with the space between spots smaller than spot diameter (vs. spots less numerous and with space between spots larger than spot diameter in C. milesi); by having more spots on body that are better organized in longitudinal rows (vs. spots less numerous and scattered in C. milesi); by the presence of scattered, numerous spots on the dorsal fin (vs. less numerous and always positioned anterior to each branched fin ray in C. milesi); by having a uniform black coloration on the dorsal surface of the pectoral spine (vs. with longitudinal row of spots on dorsal surface of pectoral spine in C. milesi); and by presenting undulated vertical bars on the caudal fin that transform progressively into spots (vs. caudal fin uniformly dark regardless of size in C. milesi).
Sexing Males larger than females. Mature males develop a fleshy dorsal ridge on the pelvic-fin leading ray, extending almost to the tip of ray; females lack this. Males usually have more developed pelvic fins than females. Mature males show a more extensive unplated portion of snout than do mature females. Both sexes develop a single longitudinal dorsal row of odontodes; the odontodes are acute recurved in mature males, versus more straight in mature females. Males have a pointed and discrete genital papilla, compared to a wide and pad-like papilla in females. When eggs are mature, females develop a swollen posterior portion of the genital papilla, so the papilla appears to be directed towards the vent tube.
Down Habitat Information
Distribution Piedmont rivers of the Orinoco River Basin in Colombia.
Orinoco, Middle Orinoco, Meta, Upper Meta, Cusiana (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, Casanare, Tocoragua (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Orinoco, Middle Orinoco, Meta, Upper Meta, Cusiana, Caja (click on these areas to find other species found there)

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IUCN Red List Category Vulnerable, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2020.
pH 7.1 - 8.6
Temperature 20.0-25.0°C or 68-77°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters In the wild, this species prefers shallow water over rocky substrates. Water parameters are well oxygenated (6.1–9.5 mg/L) and slightly basic pH (7.1–8.6). Conductivity (10.4–258.0 μS) and temperature (21–30°C) are variable. Has more stringent demands on water quality than many plecos and requires highly oxygenated water when kept in warmer water.
Down Husbandry Information
Feeding In nature, this species eats primarily algae and occasionally feeds on insect larvae (Diptera). User data.
Furniture Well rounded stones stacked to replicate a river bottom and provide caves.
Compatibility In nature, this species occurs with other Loricariids (Chaetostoma dorsale, C. formosae, C. platyrhynchus, Panaqolus maccus and Lasiancistrus tentaculatus) as well as crenuchids (Characidium gr. boavistae, C. chupa and C. cf. steindachneri), parodontids (Parodon apolinari), characids (Bryconamericus cismontanus, B. cristiani, Creagrutus bolivari, C. taphorni, C. maculosus, Hemibrycon metae and Salminus hilarii), heptapterids (Cetopsorhamdia orinoco, Phenacorhamdia macarenensis and Rhamdia quelen), cetopsids (Cetopsis orinoco and C. coecutiens), aspredinids (Hoplomyzon sexpapilostoma), trichomycterids (Trichomycterus knerii, Ochmacanthus alternus, Schultzichthys bondi and S. gracilis), apteronotids (Apteronotus albifrons), and cichlids (Crenicichla saxatilis).
Breeding Spawns in shallow, fast flowing water on the underneath of a flat object. Male, upside down, guards an adhesive clutch of eggs by, more or less, covering it with his body.
Breeding Reports There is no breeding report.
Down Further Information
Reference Zootaxa 4105 (no. 2), pp 183, Figs. 1-2, 3 left.
Registered Keepers There are 2 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
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Last Update 2019 Oct 27 04:33 (species record created: 2016 Apr 20 07:39)