Leporinus sexstriatus
Six dark stripes running nose to tail make Leporinus sexstriatus one of the more visually distinctive members of the headstander family (Anostomidae).
This small South American species lives in clear, flowing tributaries of the Tapajós basin in central Brazil — a narrow range that keeps it well outside the reach of most anglers.
Scientific Name: Leporinus sexstriatus
- Six dark longitudinal stripes run the full length of the flanks — the feature encoded in the species name, from the Latin sexstriatus (six-striped).
- Elongated body built for holding position at a nose-down angle in current, a posture shared across the Anostomidae family.
- Small, underslung mouth with incisor-like teeth shaped for scraping algae and biofilm from hard surfaces rather than capturing prey.
- A small species, reaching roughly 8–12 cm (3–5 inches) in total length.
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- Range is extremely restricted — known only from the Rio Papagaio and the Rio Juruena (a Tapajós headwater) in Mato Grosso, Brazil.
- A benthopelagic freshwater species of tropical river systems, associated with clear, flowing water where submerged wood and stone provide hard surfaces for feeding.
Specific Spots
- Submerged logs and rock faces in flowing water draw this species in — biofilm and algae accumulate on those surfaces, which is exactly what its teeth are built to exploit.
- Current seams near the bottom, where the fish can hold its characteristic nose-down angle and graze hard substrate without fighting the full force of the flow.
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