Acanthopoma annectens

Acanthopoma annectens
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Trichomycteridae
Subfamily: Stegophilinae
Genus: Acanthopoma
Lütken, 1892
Species: A. annectens
Binomial name
Acanthopoma annectens
Lütken, 1892

Acanthopoma annectens is a species of catfish (order Siluriformes) of the family Trichomycteridae, and the only species of the genus Acanthopoma.[1] This fish grows to about 12 centimetres (4.7 in) SL and originates from the upper and middle Amazon River.[2] This species is parasitic, attacking like a leech and leaving wounds all over the fish which it attacks; it spreads a bundle of opercular and inter-opercular spines into the wound and remains there and is difficult to remove. It may invade parts of wading or swimming animals but apparently exist in these passages only for a short while, as they quickly die from a lack of oxygen.[2]

References

  1. Ferraris, Carl J., Jr. (2007). "Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types" (PDF). Zootaxa 1418: 1–628.
  2. 1 2 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2007). "Acanthopoma annectens" in FishBase. July 2007 version.
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