| SOURCE FOR OCCURRENCE IN ECUADOR: Lujan et al. (2015c) |
| ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: Lujan, N.K., V. Meza-Vargas, V. Astudillo-Clavijo, R. Barriga-Salazar, and H. Lopez-Fernandez. 2015c. A Multilocus Molecular Phylogeny for Chaetostoma Clade Genera and Species with a Review of Chaetostoma (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the Central Andes. Copeia 103(2015):664–701. |
| TYPE SPECIMENS: MEPN-14687 (Museo de la Escuela Politecnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador) |
| TAXONOMIC STATUS: Valid (Eschmeyer and Fricke, 2016). Note that this species was previously identified as Chaetostoma fischeri or C. microps in western Ecuador but Lujan et al. (2015c) indicate that C. fishcheri occurs in Panama and not Ecuador and C. microps is restricted to drainages in eastern Ecuador. |
| RANGE ECUADOR: Pacific drainages from the Esmeraldas drainage south to the Santa Rosa River (Lujan et al., 2015c) |
| RANGE OUTSIDE OF ECUADOR: Tumbes River in northwestern Peru. |
| COLLECTIONS IN ECUADOR: |
| MAXIMUM SIZE: To at least 140.1 mm SL (Lujan et al., 2015c) |
| DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Chaetostoma can be distinguished from other loricariid genera by having at least one vertical column of five plate rows at the thinnest part of the caudal peduncle (vs. three in Ancistrus), by having eight or more branched dorsal fin rays (vs. seven in Ancistrus), and by having the anterior and anterolateral snout margins free of plates, with this region being instead covered by a broad band of naked skin lacking tentacles (Lujan et al., 2015c). Chaetostoma bifurcum can be distinguished from all other Chaetostoma occurring in Pacific drainages of South and Central America (except C. palmeri and C. paucispinis, which do not occur in western Ecuador) by having only one or two evertible cheek odontodes vs. three to six in other species (Lujan et al., 2015c). |
| ECOLOGY: Since this is a newly described species, there is little known about its specific ecology. Like other loricariids, it is likely a benthic species that spends its time attached to rocks or other substrate and feeds on algae. Lujan et al. (2015c) indicate that it occurs in coastal mountain streams typically between 100 and 650 m above sea level. |
| ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE: Not likely of economic importance because of its small size. |
| CONSERVATION STATUS: Unknown, although it is relativaely widely distributed in western Ecuador and does not appear to be rare. |
| LINK TO FISHBASE PAGE: NA. |
| SPECIES PROFILE CREATED BY: Windsor Aguirre |
| SPECIES PROFILE CONTRIBUTORS: |
