''Hypostomus punctatus'', the suckermouthed catfish, is a

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

belonging to the armored suckermouth catfish

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Loricariidae The Loricariidae is the largest family of catfish (order Siluriformes), with 92 genera and just over 680 species. Loricariids originate from freshwater habitats of Costa Rica, Panama, and tropical and subtropical South America. These fish are not ...

. ''Hypostomus punctatus'' is a freshwater fish native to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, in the coastal drainages of southeastern

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. It is one of a number of species commonly referred to as "plecostomus" or "

common pleco ''Hypostomus plecostomus'', also known as the suckermouth catfish or the common pleco, is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the Loricariidae, armored catfish family (Loricariidae), named for the longitudinal rows of armour (anatomy), armor ...

" by

aquarist An aquarist is a person who manages aquariums, either professionally or as a hobby. They typically care for aquatic animals, including fish and marine invertebrates. Some may care for aquatic mammals. Aquarists often work at public aquariums. They ...

Description

''H. punctatus'' is a species of loricariid

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

. Like other members of this family, it possesses a

suckermouth In fish, a suckermouth is a ventrally-oriented (inferior) mouth adapted for grazing on algae and small organisms that grow on submerged objects. All Loricariidae possess a suckermouth as do the cypriniform algae eaters of the genus ''Gyrinocheilus' ...

, armor plates, strong dorsal and pectoral fin spines, and the

omega iris The Loricariidae is the largest family of catfish (order Siluriformes), with 92 genera and just over 680 species. Loricariids originate from freshwater habitats of Costa Rica, Panama, and tropical and subtropical South America. These fish are ...

. This species reaches about TL. ''Hypostomus punctatus'' is difficult to distinguish from closely related species, such as ''

Hypostomus plecostomus ''Hypostomus plecostomus'', also known as the suckermouth catfish or the common pleco, is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the armored catfish family (Loricariidae), named for the longitudinal rows of armor-like scutes that cover the upp ...

''. Identification is relatively difficult as there are many different similar species labelled as "common pleco". This species has a light brown coloration with a pattern of darker brown spots (its specific epithet, ''punctatus'', means "spotted"). Because of this, the species may also be known as the spotted hypostomus. The species is not notably striped and is generally lighter in coloration than ''H. plecostomus''.

Habitat and ecology

''H. punctatus'' is found in the wild in fast-flowing rivers as well as in flooded areas. It prefers water with a temperature of 22–28 °C, a pH range of 5–8, and a dH range of 0.5–25. ''H. punctatus'' is primarily herbivorous and feeds on

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

and

detritus In biology, detritus () is dead particulate organic material, as distinguished from dissolved organic material. Detritus typically includes the bodies or fragments of bodies of dead organisms, and fecal material. Detritus typically hosts commun ...

as well as plants and roots.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1027554 punctatus Fish of South America Fish of Brazil Fish of Uruguay Taxa named by Achille Valenciennes Fish described in 1840