Cruciglanis facts for kids

Cruciglanis pacifici is a special kind of catfish. It's the only known species in its group, called Cruciglanis. This unique fish lives in rivers in Colombia, a country in South America. Scientists first discovered and named it in 2006.

What Kind of Fish Is It?

Cruciglanis pacifici is a catfish. It belongs to a family of fish called Pseudopimelodidae. Think of a family like a big group of relatives. This fish is the only member of its specific group, or genus, called Cruciglanis. Scientists named it in 2006. It's related to other catfish groups like Batrochoglanis and Microglanis.

Where This Catfish Lives

The Cruciglanis pacifici catfish lives in several rivers in Colombia. You can find it in the San Cipriano River and other rivers like the Anchicayá River, Aguaclara River, and Danubio River. These rivers are all on the western side of the Pacific mountains in the Valle del Cauca Department of Colombia.

What the Cruciglanis Pacifici Looks Like

This catfish can grow to be about 11 cm (4.3 in) long. That's about the length of a small pencil! It has small eyes and a wide mouth. It also has three pairs of barbels, which are like whiskers, around its mouth. These barbels help it feel around and find food.

Its dorsal (top) and pectoral fin (side) spines have small teeth-like edges called serrae. The top of its head and sides of its body are brown. Its back fin, called the adipose fin, is also brown. The bottom part of its body is a creamy beige color. It also has four dark brown stripes on its sides.

Its Home and What It Eats

The Cruciglanis pacifici catfish likes to live in clear, shallow rivers. It prefers places where the water flows fast, like in "riffles" and "runs." It often hides among gravel and small stones at the bottom of the river. These fish live in places that are not disturbed by people.

This catfish shares its home with other fish species. Some of its neighbors include Gobiesox sp., Chaetostoma marginatum, Cordilancistrus daguae, Astroblepus trifasciatus, and Trichomycterus taenia. It also lives alongside shrimp like Atya.

What does it eat? Scientists have looked inside their stomachs. They found that Cruciglanis pacifici eats young aquatic insects. These include insects from groups like Trichoptera, Diptera, Ephemeroptera, and Odonata. It also eats land insects, such as those from the Hymenoptera (like ants) and Coleoptera (like beetles) groups.