PlanetCatfish.com - Otocinclus mimulus (Loricariidae) Cat-eLog

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Otocinclus mimulus** Axenrot & Kullander, 2003
Common Names	Mimicry Oto Gepunkteter Ohrgitter-Harnischwels (Germany), Mimicry-dværgsugemalle (Denmark)
Type Locality	Small stream (arroyo) at Estancia María Belén, 8 kilometers from Colonel Patricio Colman, 25°40'13''S, 55°05'52''W, río Paraná drainage, Depto. Caaguazú, Paraguay.
Pronunciation	auto SINK luss
Etymology	Greek, ous, oto = ear + Latin, cinclus = latticework; in allusion to the holes of the head in the ears. mimulus, dimunitive of mimus (actor) a reference to its mimicry with Corydoras diphyes.
Species Information
Size	43mm or 1.7" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Otocinclus mimulus is one of four Otocinclus species (O. arnoldi, O. flexilis, O. mimulus, and O. xakriaba) which can have dark blotches on a pale body. O. mimulus is most similar to and can be confused with O. arnoldi. O. mimulus is distinguished from O. arnoldi by having an elevated patch of enlarged odontodes on the postero-dorsal parieto-supraoccipital tip (vs. having a patch of enlarged odontodes on the parietosupraoccipital, and the patch is not elevated).
Sexing	Females are larger and broader especially when viewed from above.
General Remarks	Mimics Corydoras diphyes. However this mimicry is unusual because the two species occupy different microhabitats and it is hypothesized to operate with a primarily visual predator moving between the microhabitats, tentatively identified as the cichlid Crenicichla lepidota.
Habitat Information
Distribution	South America: tributaries of río Monday, a right bank tributary of the río Paraná in Paraguay. La Plata, Paraná, Monday (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 2021.
Other Parameters	Per the original description, collected from a small stream with dark, slightly turbid water. The substrate was soft with abundant leaf litter and branches.
Husbandry Information
Breeding	Unreported.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters v. 14 (no. 3), pp 251, Fig. 1.
Registered Keepers	There are 6 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There are 4 wishes to keep this species, see who wants what.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 3 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.4.49.2515
Last Update	2025 Jan 01 12:08 (species record created: 2010 Jul 13 09:29)