Ancistrus cryptophthalmus

{{Short description|Species of catfish}}

{{Speciesbox

| status = EN

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade |author-link=ICMBio |year=2021 |title= Ancistrus cryptophthalmus |page= e.T134659942A134659946 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T134659942A134659946.pt |access-date=28 August 2023}}

| taxon = Ancistrus cryptophthalmus

| authority = Reis, 1987

}}

Ancistrus cryptophthalmus{{ITIS |taxon=Ancistrus cryptophthalmus |id=679999 |access-date=2022-03-06}} is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is a troglomorphic species that is native to South America and occurs only in the São Vicente and Angélica-Bezerra cave system in the Paranã River basin, which is part of the Tocantins River drainage in Brazil. The species reaches {{cvt|6|cm}} SL.{{FishBase |month= |year=2021 |genus=Ancistrus|species= cryptophthalmus}} Alongside Ancistrus galani and A. formoso, this species displays characteristics unusual among loricariids, such as reduced pigmentation and atrophied eyes, which are adaptations to a subterranean habitat that can be found in various types of cavefish.{{Cite journal |last1=Perez |first1=Alfredo |last2=Viloria |first2=Ángel |date=January 1994 |title=Ancistrus galani n. sp. (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), with comments on biospeleological explorations in western Venezuela |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309505489 |journal=Mémoires de Biospéologie |volume=21 |via=ResearchGate}}