One of the overlooked pleco species from Rio Xingu, Brazil is this nice little Ancistrus known from the area around Altamira. It may not have striking colours to show off, but it has a pretty pattern of wormlines and a small size that makes it suitable for many aquarists out there. It’s a rare species in the hobby, mostly circulating on the private market in limited numbers. Almost 30 years since it was introduced by DATZ in 1994, it was scientifically described in 2022. Apparently, it has a much larger distribution than what was first thought, and is found in both the Rio Xingu and the Rio Tapajos system.
Facts:
Name: Ancistrus luzia (Neuhaus, Britto, Birindelli & Sousa, 2022)
Trade names: Altamira Ancistrus, L159
Origin: Rio Xingu, Rio Tapajos, Brazil
Maximum TL: 12 cm / 5”
A.luzia is hardy and easy to breed if given clean, well filtered warm water and a varied diet. It can be distinguished from the very similar A.sp. “Rio Tocantins” by its pale red caudal seam.
Abstract from the scientific description:
“A new Ancistrus species is described from Tapajós and Xingu river basins. It is distinguished from its congeners by the singular body color pattern, consisting of dark vermiculated stripes almost all over the body, and also by combination of features as a narrow head, large internostril distance, and absence of rows of enlarged odontodes on the lateral plates. In addition, the new species is distinguished from congeners that inhabit the rio Tapajós basin by the presence of a fully developed adipose fin (vs. adipose fin absent in Ancistrus parecis and A. tombador, and vestigial adipose fin or absent in A. krenakarore). It differs from A. ranunculus, also from the rio Xingu, by the color pattern, smaller body size, smaller gill opening, and narrower cleithral width. The new taxon adds a new record to the list of species shared among the Xingu and Tapajós basins.”
More info:
http://www.l-welse.com/reviewpost/showproduct.php/product/173
http://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=597