Pseudancistrus Barbatus
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''Pseudancistrus barbatus'', commonly known as the bearded catfish, is a
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
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, ...
in the family Loricariidae. It is 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 ...
, where it occurs in the basins of the Oyapock, the Mana River, the Maroni, the
Suriname River The Suriname River (Dutch: ''Surinamerivier'') is 480 km long and flows through the country Suriname. Its sources are located in the Guiana Highlands on the border between the Wilhelmina Mountains and the Eilerts de Haan Mountains (where it i ...
, the Courantyne River, and the Essequibo River. Within its range, the bearded catfish is typically found in rocky, fast-flowing
rapids Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade''. ...
. The bearded catfish reaches 20 cm (7.9 inches) in standard length, and it is believed that the length of the snout bristles on a male individual of the species may reflect the individual's hierarchic status within the population. It is known to be fished in shallow areas within its range using harpoons or bows. The species also occasionally appears in the aquarium trade, where it is sometimes referred to as the wreath pleco.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6410780 Loricariidae Fish described in 1840