L 020 6-8cm

Common Names L020, Acari Bola Branca
Storplettet Sugemalle
Type Locality Ilha do Sr. Izaltino, rio Xingú, Altamira, Pará, Brazil, 3°16’21″S, 52°12’07″W.
Etymology Genus: Latin, spectrum = look, apparition + Greek, akantha = thorn.
Down arrow Species Information
Size 129mm or 5.1″ SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification Spectracanthicus can be separated from all other loricariids except some Baryancistrus, Parancistrus and an undescribed Hemiancistrus by the presence of the dorsal-fin membrane contacting the adipose-fin spine. It can be separated from Baryancistrus and the Hemiancistrus by having fewer teeth (less than 25 vs. greater than 25) and from Parancistrus by having restricted gill openings. A key to the genus can be found here.

L019 and L020 are problematic species in terms of identification. The original DATZ article shows an underwater picture (the fish is actually trying to hide in a shoe!!!) where you only could see the coloration of the fish. However, this coloration belongs to two different species found at the same place in the Xingú, a Baryancistrus species (L019) and an Spectracanthicus species. We don’t know which genus the first L020 belonged to. To clarify this for the future, L019 is the Baryancistrus sp. and L020 the Oligancistrus sp.
Down arrow Habitat Information
Distribution South America: Brazil: Rio Xingú at Altamira
Amazon, Lower Amazon, Xingu

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IUCN Red List Category Not Evaluated
Temperature 25.0-30.0°C or 77-86°F