Parotocinclus arandai
species of fish
Parotocinclus arandai is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Loricariidae, the suckermouth armoured catfishes, and the subfamily Hypoptopomatinae, the cascudinhos. This catfish is endemic to Brazil.
Taxonomy
Parotocinclus arandai was first formally described in 2009 by the Brazilian ichthyologists Luisa Maria Sarmento-Soares, Pablo César Lehmann Albornoz & Ronaldo Fernando Martins-Pinheiro with its type locality given as the Bananeiras stream on road between Geribá and Palmópolis at 16°44'48"S, 40°25'46"W, in the municipality of Palmópolis, Minas Gerais. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes classifies the genus Parotocinclus in the subfamily Hypoptopomatinae, the cascudinhos, within the suckermouth armored catfish family Loricariidae.
Etymology
Parotocinclus arandai is classified in the genus Parotocinclus, is a combination of para, meaning "near", and the genus Otocinclus, the genus the type species, P. maculicauda was originally thought to be a member of. The specific name, honours the Brazilian ichthyologist and colleague of the authors Arion Túlio Aranda, who assisted in the collection of the type series but also in recognition of his talent for catching fish and his understanding of their behaviour.
Description
Parotocinclus arandai has a single spine and seven soft rays supporting its dorsal fin and five soft rays in its anal fin. This species can be told apart from all other species in its genus by the absence of a dark triangular blotch at the front base of the dorsal fin, by the possession of tufts of hypertrophied odontodes above the eyes and almost naked abdomen in adults. This catfish has an elongated body shape and it reaches a standard length of 4.3 cm (1.7 in).
Distribution and habitat
Parotocinclus arandai is endemic to Brazil where it occurs in the tributaries of the upper and middle Jucurucu River and the upper Buranhém River on the border between the Brazilian states of Bahia and Minas Gerais, as well as in the Salinas River and the Jequitinhonha River basin.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Parotocinclus arandai” is species of fish. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Parotocinclus, arandai and species, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “species of fish” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5552837. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2009.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Parotocinclus arandai”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Parotocinclus arandai primary sources, Parotocinclus arandai archive and Parotocinclus research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Parotocinclus arandai”?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Parotocinclus arandai” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.