Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Actinopterygii
- Order: Siluriformes
- Family: Loricariidae
- Subfamily: Loricariinae
- Tribe: Loricariini
- Genus: Farlowella
- Species: Farlowella hasemani (Fowler, 1945)
Common name – Often referred to as a “twig catfish” or “brittle‑weed catfish,” terms used for many species in the genus Farlowella.
Description
Farlowella hasemani is an elongated, slender armored catfish characterized by a laterally compressed, stick‑like body that provides camouflage among submerged vegetation and woody debris. Like other members of its genus, it possesses a small, dorsally placed mouth adapted for scraping periphyton and biofilm from surfaces. The species bears bony plates (scutes) covering the dorsal and ventral surfaces, typical of loricariids. Precise morphometric data (e.g., total length, fin ray counts) specific to F. hasemani are not widely published in readily accessible sources.
Distribution and Habitat
The species is native to freshwater systems in South America. Original descriptions and subsequent taxonomic references place F. hasemani in the drainage basins of the Amazon‑Orinoco region, though the exact localities (e.g., specific rivers or tributaries) are not consistently reported in the literature accessible to this summary. It inhabits slow‑moving or standing waters with abundant submerged vegetation, roots, and leaf litter where its cryptic body shape offers concealment.
Ecology and Behavior
- Feeding: Primarily a periphyton grazer, scraping algae, diatoms, and detritus from submerged surfaces.
- Reproduction: Detailed reproductive biology of F. hasemani has not been documented; however, related Farlowella species are known to be cavity spawners, with males guarding eggs deposited on submerged structures.
- Conservation status: The species has not been evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); thus, its conservation status is undetermined.
Taxonomic notes
The specific epithet hasemani honors zoologist John Diederich Haseman, who collected numerous South American fishes in the early 20th century. The original description by Henry W. Fowler (1945) placed the species within Farlowella based on distinctive morphological features, although subsequent revisions of the genus have not substantially altered its taxonomic placement.
Research gaps
Information on the precise geographic range, population dynamics, detailed morphological measurements, and ecological interactions of Farlowella hasemani remains limited in publicly available scholarly databases. Additional field studies and taxonomic reviews are necessary to fully elucidate these aspects.