Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Zebra pleco (Hypancistrus zebra), recorded as Critically Endangered
Zebra pleco (Hypancistrus zebra). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Zebra pleco

Hypancistrus zebra

This catfish is endemic to a small section of the Rio Xingu in Brazil.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Hypancistrus zebra
Recorded from
Brazil
CITES
Appendix III
Taxonomy
Siluriformes · Loricariidae · Hypancistrus

Appearance

It gets its name from its black and white stripes, resembling the colouration of a zebra.

This species grows to a length of 6.4 centimetres (2.5 in) SL.

It was first described in 1991.

Range and habitat

This catfish is endemic to a small section of the Rio Xingu in Brazil. It occurs in the big bend area of the river, downstream from the town of Altamira, Para. H. Zebra is threatened by the Belo Monte Dam in the Xingu river that has caused a severe reduction of the water flow of the entire known distribution range of the species.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Breeding

It is subject to several captive breeding programs. After spawning, the males will guard the eggs.

In crisis

Due to this, the species has been classified as critically endangered and may soon become extinct in the wild. The species is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meaning that international trade (among them in captive bred specimens) is regulated by the CITES permitting system.

Zebra pleco is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Zebra pleco, Wikidata item Q169392. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Also in this catalog

Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii
Photograph of Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum

Quick answers

What is Zebra pleco?
This catfish is endemic to a small section of the Rio Xingu in Brazil.
What is the conservation status of Zebra pleco?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Hypancistrus zebra. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Zebra pleco live?
It occurs in the big bend area of the river, downstream from the town of Altamira, Para.
Why is Zebra pleco in crisis?
Due to this, the species has been classified as critically endangered and may soon become extinct in the wild.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Hypancistrus zebra?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Zebra pleco a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.