Otocinclus cocama
Encyclopedia
The zebra oto or tiger oto (Otocinclus cocama) is a fish of the genus
Otocinclus
of the family
Loricariidae
that originates from Peru
.
of the Río Ucayali
in Peru
. It's closest relatives appear to be O. huaorani, O. bororo, O. mariae, and O. mura, as well as the newer species O. batmani.
in the Ucayali River
and possibly Marañón River
as well. These fish are found in mid-sized creeks with clear water. They associate with marginal vegetation.
. They are small, have a suckermouth
, and have armor on their bodies.
The zebra oto can be distinguished from all other members of this genus by its vertical stripe-like blotches and its complete lateral line
. The zebra oto has the highest number of teeth of any species of Otocinclus. The W mark on its caudal fin distinguishes this fish from all other Otocinclus except for O. batmani. The zebra oto reaches about 4.4 centimetre
s (1.7 in
) SL
, though the male
s are smaller.
in good numbers.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Otocinclus
Otocinclus
Otocinclus is a genus of catfish of the family Loricariidae commonly called "dwarf suckers" or "otos". Otocinclus originate from tropical, freshwater rivers in South America.-Taxonomy:...
of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Loricariidae
Loricariidae
Loricariidae is the largest family of catfish , with almost 700 species and new species being described each year. Loricariids originate from fresh water habitats of Costa Rica, Panama, and tropical and subtropical South America. These fish are noted for the bony plates covering their bodies and...
that originates from Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
Taxonomy
The zebra oto was described in 2004 from a tributaryTributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Río Ucayali
Ucayali
The Ucayali River arises about north of Lake Titicaca, in the Arequipa region of South America. The Amazon River takes its name close to Nauta city , in the confluence among Ucayali and Marañón rivers....
in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. It's closest relatives appear to be O. huaorani, O. bororo, O. mariae, and O. mura, as well as the newer species O. batmani.
Distribution and habitat
This fish is found in PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
in the Ucayali River
Ucayali
The Ucayali River arises about north of Lake Titicaca, in the Arequipa region of South America. The Amazon River takes its name close to Nauta city , in the confluence among Ucayali and Marañón rivers....
and possibly Marañón River
Marañón River
The Marañón River rises about 160 km to the northeast of Lima, Peru, flows through a deeply-eroded Andean valley in a northwesterly direction, along the eastern base of the Cordillera of the Andes, as far as 5 degrees 36' southern latitude; then it makes a great bend to the northeast, and...
as well. These fish are found in mid-sized creeks with clear water. They associate with marginal vegetation.
Appearance and anatomy
The zebra oto has a general body-shape like other OtocinclusOtocinclus
Otocinclus is a genus of catfish of the family Loricariidae commonly called "dwarf suckers" or "otos". Otocinclus originate from tropical, freshwater rivers in South America.-Taxonomy:...
. They are small, have a suckermouth
Suckermouth
In fishes, a suckermouth is a ventrally-oriented mouth adapted for grazing on algae and small organisms that grow on submerged objects....
, and have armor on their bodies.
The zebra oto can be distinguished from all other members of this genus by its vertical stripe-like blotches and its complete lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
. The zebra oto has the highest number of teeth of any species of Otocinclus. The W mark on its caudal fin distinguishes this fish from all other Otocinclus except for O. batmani. The zebra oto reaches about 4.4 centimetre
Centimetre
A centimetre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one hundredth of a metre, which is the SI base unit of length. Centi is the SI prefix for a factor of . Hence a centimetre can be written as or — meaning or respectively...
s (1.7 in
Inch
An inch is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units. There are 36 inches in a yard and 12 inches in a foot...
) SL
Fish measurement
Fish measurement refers to the measuring of the length of individual fish and of various parts of their anatomy. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology.-Overall length:...
, though the male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
s are smaller.
In the aquarium
The zebra oto has been for sale in the aquarium trade since the early 1990s. It has been popular since at least 2000. They are an occasionally seen species, and are bred in AsiaAsia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
in good numbers.