|
Acanthopoma annectens Lütken, 1892 |
| Family: | Trichomycteridae (Pencil or parasitic catfishes), subfamily: Stegophilinae | |||
| Max. size: | 12 cm SL (male/unsexed) | |||
| Environment: | demersal; freshwater | |||
| Distribution: | South America: Upper and middle Amazon River basin. | |||
| Diagnosis: | ||||
| Biology: | Attacks like a leech and produces wounds all over the fish which it attacks. It spreads a bundle of opercular and inter-opercular spines into the wound and remains there, being very difficult to remove. Invades the 'private 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 (Ref. 6868). | |||
| IUCN Red List Status: | Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 08 December 2020 Ref. (130435) | |||
| Threat to humans: | harmless | |||