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


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