Hypostomus arecuta facts for kids

The Hypostomus arecuta is a type of catfish that belongs to the Loricariidae family. This freshwater fish lives in South America, specifically in the Paraná River in Argentina.

About the Arecuta Catfish

The Hypostomus arecuta is a special kind of catfish. It can grow up to about 24.3 centimeters (or 9.6 inches) long. Scientists believe it can breathe air when it needs to, which is pretty cool! This means it can get oxygen from both water and air.

Where It Lives

This fish likes to live near the edges of the main river channel. It prefers places where there's lots of oxygen in the water. It also likes areas with a gentle current, not too fast, around 0.6 meters per second. The bottom of the river where it lives is usually made of sand, small stones (pebbles), and large sandstone rocks.

The water in these areas is often quite clear, so you might be able to see about 1.5 to 2.4 meters deep. The water also has a certain level of conductivity, which is how well electricity can pass through it. For H. arecuta, this is usually between 50.9 and 59.6 μS/cm.

Fishy Neighbors

The Hypostomus arecuta often shares its home with many other types of Hypostomus fish. This is called being sympatric. Some of its neighbors include:

• H. commersoni
• H. cochliodon
• H. uruguayensis
• H. latifrons
• H. ternetzi
• H. luteomaculatus
• H. microstomus
• H. boulengeri

Its Name

The name arecuta comes from the Guarani language. In Guarani, the word arecutá means "loricariid fish." Loricariid fish are a group of armored catfish, which is exactly what Hypostomus arecuta is!

See also

In Spanish: Hypostomus arecuta para niños