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

Cat-eLog Loricariidae Hypostominae Ancistrus | |

Dorsal view
Ventral view
Close-up of eye
Male
Dorsal view
Pair - female on right
Eggs hatching
Four day old fry
Nineteen day old fry
Month old juvenile
Close-up of interopercular spines
Head-on view
Cachoeira Grande do Iriri, 03°50'35.5"S, 052°44'08.3"W

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Ancistrus ranunculus** Muller, Rapp Py-Daniel & Zuanon, 1994
Common Names	L034, Medusa Pleco Bredhovedet Antenne-sugemalle (Denmark), Kaulquappenwels/Bristle Bushmouth (Germany)
Type Locality	Rio Xingú, furo do Tucum Seco, near Arroz Cru, Pará State, Brazil.
Pronunciation	an SISS truss - rah nun kew luss
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 small frog or tadpole (ranunculus=diminutive frog or tadpole) and refers to its unusually wide head.
Articles	- Shane's World Reproduction Breeding the Medusa Pleco, Ancistrus ranunculus
Species Information
Size	129mm or 5.1" 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. Although all black, this is an easily identified species of Ancistrus due to its extreme head-width.
Sexing	Both sexes exhibit the Ancistrus trademark head-tentacles but they are much more prominent in sexually mature males.
Habitat Information
Distribution	South America: Xingu and Tocantins River basins in Brazil. Amazon, Lower Amazon, Tocantins (click on these areas to find other species found there) Amazon, Lower Amazon, Xingu (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
IUCN Red List Category	Near Threatened , range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2018.
Temperature	25.0-28.0°C or 77-82.4°F (Show species within this range)
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Although still omnivorous, tends to be more of a carnivore than your average Ancistrus. User data.
Furniture	Natural habitat is stony streams. Prefers to hide between cracks in the rock-base or under flat stones on the bottom.
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	All community fish, small to medium sized cichlids.
Breeding	Typical Ancistrus breeding behaviour. Males stay in caves and guard the brood. Females lay about 8 to 12 eggs. Eggs hatch after 5-7 days. After about 10 days the yolk sac is totally absorbed and the young start to eat. Fry are not problematic to raise. Once conditioned for spawning they spawn as often as common Ancistrus. Further information in breeding reports and Shane's World articles.
Breeding Reports	There are 2 breeding reports, read them all here.
Further Information
Reference	Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters v. 5 (no. 4), pp 290, Fig. 1.
Registered Keepers	There are 113 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There are 13 wishes to keep this species, see who wants what.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 44 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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	Look up A. ranunculus on Fishbase
	Look up A. ranunculus on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up A. ranunculus on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.4.4.190
Last Update	2025 Jan 01 12:06 (species record created: 2001 Apr 25 00:00)