PlanetCatfish.com - Hemiodontichthys acipenserinus (Loricariidae) Cat-eLog

Close-up of head
Dorsal view
Dorsal view
Close-up of mouth
Egg-clutch
Male with eggs
Male with eggs
Buried in sand
Male with eggs
Six day old eggs
Nine day old eggs
Close-up of caudal fin

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Hemiodontichthys acipenserinus** (Kner, 1853)
Common Names	Knobnose Whiptail Catfish Pinocchio Catfish
Type Locality	Rio Guaporé, Rondônia, Brazil.
Synonym(s)	Hemiodon acipenserinus
Pronunciation	HEMI oh daunt ICK thiss
Etymology	(Greek)Hemi=half + (Greek)odous=tooth + (Greek)ichthys=fish.
Species Information
Size	134mm or 5.3" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Sexing	Mature males develop a huge labial veil and teeth with spoon-shaped crowns (versus pointed tooth crowns in females and juveniles).
General Remarks	Unlike most Loricariidae, they don't have well developed odontodes on the snout and pectoral fins.
Habitat Information
Distribution	South America: Amazon, Essequibo, Oyapock, and Paraguay River basins. Amazon (click on these areas to find other species found there) Guyana Waters, Coastal Rivers of Guyanas, Essequibo (click on these areas to find other species found there) La Plata, Paraná, Paraguay (click on these areas to find other species found there) Guyana Waters, Coastal Rivers of Guyanas, French Guyana Coastal Rivers, Oyapock (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.
Temperature	24.0-28.0°C or 75.2-82.4°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	Lives on sandy bottom where it feeds on worms and micro-crustaceans.
Husbandry Information
Breeding	During reproduction, the males bear a cluster of eggs fixed to their lips, which they provide with ventilation during movement. About one week after hatching, the fry leave their parent's protection.
Breeding Reports	There are 5 breeding reports, read them all here.
Further Information
Reference	Denkschriften der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe. v. 6, pp 92 [28], Pl. 7 (fig. 2a-c).
Registered Keepers	There are 32 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There are 2 wishes to keep this species, see who wants what.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 19 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
Forum BBCode

	Search for H. acipenserinus
	Look up H. acipenserinus on AquaticRepublic.com
	Look up H. acipenserinus on Fishbase
	Look up H. acipenserinus on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up H. acipenserinus on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.4.81.176
Last Update	2025 Jan 02 01:37 (species record created: 2001 Apr 29 00:00)