Macrotocinclus affinis (lat.) Is a species of ray-finned fish from the chain-mail catfish family, the only one of the genus Macrotocinclus . For a long time belonged to the genus Otocinclus [1] . In Russian-language literature it is known as an ordinary otocycle [2] .
| Macrotocinclus affinis |
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| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Subfamily : | Hypoptopomatinae |
| Gender: | Macrotocinclus Isbrücker & Seidel, 2001 |
| View: | Macrotocinclus affinis |
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| International scientific name |
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Macrotocinclus affinis ( Steindachner , 1877 ) |
| Synonyms |
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Otocinclus affinis Steindachner, 1877 |
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Outwardly similar to Corydoras nattereri . The total length reaches 4-5 cm. The head is of moderate size, the snout is elongated, rounded. The eyes are big. On the sides there are large "ear" holes. The mouth is a kind of suction cup. The body is elongated, slender, tapering to the caudal stem. The body is covered with small bone plates. Dorsal fin high, oblong, with one rigid beam. The pectoral and ventral fins are small. Adipose fin absent, caudal fin wide.
The color is ocher-golden, from the beginning of the snout through the eye, along the lateral line to the caudal fin, inclusive there is a black wide strip. On the caudal stem, the strip turns into a rounded spot, often divided into two parts. The belly is white.
This is a bottom fish . It is found in fast rivers. Keeps near sandy soil. Forms small jambs. Active at night, in the afternoon likes to hide among fallen trees, snags and aquatic plants. It feeds on soft green or brown algae , extremely rarely - mosquito larvae. Life expectancy is 5 years. .
Puberty occurs in 6-8 months. The female lays quite a lot of eggs. Fries appear after 3 days .
It is endemic to Brazil . It lives in the rivers of the state of Rio de Janeiro [3] .
