Macrotocinclus
| Golden Oto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Loricariidae |
| Genus: | Macrotocinclus Isbrücker & Seidel, 2001 |
| Species: | M. affinis |
| Binomial name | |
| Macrotocinclus affinis (Steindachner, 1877) | |
| Synonyms | |
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The golden otocinclus (Macrotocinclus affinis, formerly Otocinclus affinis) is one of the smallest known suckermouth catfish, often called a 'dwarf oto'. Endemic to Southeast Brazil, this herbivorous, rheophilic, bottom-feeder only grows to around 4 cm (1.6 in) in length. These small fish are often used for the purpose of controlling algae in small home aquariums.
M. affinis is a Batesian mimic of Corydoras nattereri. Due to its narrow stripe, M. affinis resembles this Corydoras species more than it does Otocinclus species.[1]
M. affinis prefers an aquarium with fast moving water, sandy substrate, and plenty of hiding areas (old broken clay pipes is a preferred hiding habitat). Preferred pH is slightly acidic with a tank temperature of 21–27 °C (70–81 °F). This particular species is not as hardy as many of the other Otocinclus species.
Gallery
See also
References
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2011). "Macrotocinclus affinis" in FishBase. December 2011 version.
- ↑ Axenrot, Thomas E.; Kullander, Sven O. (October 2003). "Corydoras diphyes (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) and Otocinclus mimulus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), two new species of catfishes from Paraguay, a case of mimetic association" (PDF). Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters 14 (3): 249–272.
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