Paracetopsis atahualpa Vari, Ferraris & de Pinna, 2005
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Paracetopsis atahualpa is a species of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cetopsidae, the whale catfishes. This species is found in Peru and Ecuador where it occurs in the Tumbes River basin (northwestern Peru) and the adjoining upper reaches of the Zarumilla River (southwestern Ecuador). P. atahualpa appears to be an uncommon species with a restricted range within which its habitat has been degraded by mining, land-use changes and pollution The maximum standard length of this species is 24.2 cm (9.5 in).
It is named after Atahualpa, the last independent ruler of the Inca Empire, which encompassed the area of distribution of the species.
Wikipedia contributors, Paracetopsis atahualpa; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:30:43.191130+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Paracetopsis atahualpa Vari, Ferraris & de Pinna, 2005
- Name authority
- Vari, Ferraris & de Pinna, 2005
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Family
- Cetopsidae
- Genus
- Paracetopsis
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderSiluriformes
- familyCetopsidae Bleeker, 1858
- subfamilyCetopsinae Bleeker, 1858
- genusParacetopsis Bleeker, 1862
- speciesParacetopsis atahualpa Vari, Ferraris & de Pinna, 2005
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Paracetopsis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Paracetopsis bleekeri Bleeker, 1862 | CetopsidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Paracetopsis esmeraldas Vari, Ferraris & de Pinna, 2005 | CetopsidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Vari, R. P.; Ferraris, C. J., Jr.; de Pinna, M. C. C. (2005). The neotropical whale catfishes (Siluriformes: Cetopsidae: Cetopsinae), a revisionary study. Neotropical Ichthyology, 3. https://doi.org/10.1590/s1679-62252005000200001 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4CP9F. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.