Megalancistrus parananus
L113
Formerly Pterygoplichthys parananus Peters, 1881 · Chaetostomus aculeatus Perugia, 1891 · Chaetostomus gigas Boulenger, 1895
On this page9 sections
Quick facts
Difficulty5 of 6 measures
More bars, more demanding.
- Space
- very large tank
- Water
- tap water
- Temp
- unfussy
- Temperament
- unknown
- Social
- kept alone
- Compatibility
- not a community fish
This species was formerly considered to be represented by the L-numbers L113 and L234 but it appears that only the former is native to the Paraná, Paraguay and Uruguay drainages, whereas L234 is collected in the rio São Francisco in eastern Brazil. M. barrae and M. sp. 'LDA097' are also exported from the São Francisco system.
Etymology
Megalancistrus: from the Greek μέγας (mégas), meaning 'big, large, great', and the generic name Ancistrus.
parananus: named for the Río Paraná, type locality of the species.
Distribution
Aquarium size
Suitable only for public installations or the very largest private aquaria.
Water conditions
Diet
Intestinal analyses of wild specimens have shown it to feed chiefly on freshwater sponges and other aquatic invertebrates alongside smaller quantities of wood, although it's unclear whether the latter is an essential part of the diet or ingested unintentionally while the fish are foraging.
In the aquarium it does best when offered a varied diet comprising sinking dried foods, frozen Daphnia, mosquito larvae, chironomid larvae (bloodworm), and prawn/shrimp, for, example, plus fresh fruit, parboiled potato, etc.
Home-made foods using a mixture of natural ingredients bound with gelatin are very useful since they can be tailored to contain fresh vegetables, Spirulina and meatier ingredients.
These boxes carry affiliate links and we may earn a commission. What they recommend comes from each profile’s own figures, never chosen by hand or paid for.
Behaviour and compatibility
Can behave very aggressively in confined surroundings and should only be maintained alongside similarly-sized, robust fishes in suitably-sized aquaria (see 'Aquarium Size').
Notes
This species was formerly considered to be represented by the L-numbers L113 and L234 but it appears that only the former is native to the Paraná, Paraguay and Uruguay drainages, whereas L234 is collected in the rio São Francisco in eastern Brazil.
M. barrae and M. sp. 'LDA097' are also exported from the São Francisco system.
References
- Ferraris, C. J., Jr. (2007). Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418, 1-628
- Reis, R. E., S. O. Kullander and C. J. Ferraris, Jr. (eds) (2003). Check list of the freshwater fishes of South and Central America. CLOFFSCA. EDIPUCRS, Porto Alegre, i-xi + 1-729
- Stawikowski, R., A. Werner and I. Seidel (2004). DATZ Special: L-Numbers. DATZ, 1-132
Species images · 1
Used with the photographer’s permission. Not licensed for reuse.
One photograph on file. More would be welcome.