Trichomycterus punctulatus
{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| taxon = Trichomycterus punctulatus
| authority = Valenciennes, 1846
| synonyms =
}}
Trichomycterus punctulatus is a species of fish of the family Trichomycteridae, native to freshwater habitats in western Peru.{{FishBase | genus = Trichomycterus | species = punctulatus | month = April| year = 2017}} This elongated catfish can reach a length of {{convert|19.5|cm|in|abbr=on}}.{{cite journal |author1=Gálvez Mora, C.A. |author2=M. Andrea Runcio | year=2009 | title=El life (Trichomycterus sp.) y su importancia en la iconografía Mochica | journal=Archaeobios | volume=3 | issue=1 | pages=55–87}}
Range, habitat and behavior
This nocturnal freshwater fish is endemic to western Peru, ranging at least from Lambayeque and CajamarcaFondazioneslowfood: [http://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/monsefu-life/ Life monsefuano.] Retrieved 28 April 2017. to Tacna.{{cite journal |author=Dyer, B.S. | title=Systematic review and biogeography of the freshwater fishes of Chile | year=2000 | journal=Estud. Oceanol. | volume=19 | pages=77–98}} It mostly lives in rivers and streams, but can also be found in habitats such as small lakes and paddy fields. It is an opportunistic predator that mainly feeds on insects,{{cite journal |author1=Vera Arabe |author2=Oyague Passuni |author3=Castañeda Córdova |author4=Quinteros Carlos | title=Hábitos alimentarios del bagre "life" Trichomycterus punctulatus (Valenciennes, 1846) (Actinopterygii, Siluriformes) en el río Pisco, Perú | year=2013 | journal=Ecología Aplicada | volume=12 | issue=2 | pages=121–131| doi=10.21704/rea.v12i1-2.445 | doi-access=free }} but also will take small crustaceans and plant material (algae and remains of phanerogams).
Importance to humans
It is fished and plays an important role in the local cuisine in northern Peru, where this species is known as life, pronounced "lee-fey", or life monsefuano (dishes: panquitas de life or sudado de life).{{citation | author=Bradley, Robert | title=The Life Catfish in Moche Art and Culture | url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert_Bradley8/post/Can_anyone_identify_the_Species_Genus_or_Family_of_this_catfish/attachment/59d63d7979197b807799a448/AS:419819724787714%401477104230251/download/Bradley_Andean_Foodways_lifes_FINAL.pdf}} Although it can be difficult to ascertain the exact species depicted in the artwork of the ancient Moche culture,{{cite book | author=Bourget, S. | year=2016 | title=Sacrifice, Violence, and Ideology Among the Moche: The Rise of Social Complexity in Ancient Peru | isbn=978-1-4773-0873-8}} it was likely T. punctulatus that was important in their mythology where perhaps recognized as a connection between light and darkness. In excavations of Huaca de la Luna, more than one-quarter of all fish bones were this species, revealing that it already played an important role as a food to the Moche.
References
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Category:Catfish of South America
Category:Freshwater fish of Peru
Category:Endemic fauna of Peru
Category:Taxa named by Achille Valenciennes
Category:Fish described in 1846
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