Trichomycterus rivulatus

{{Short description|Species of fish}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Trichomycterus rivulatus.jpg

| status = LR/nt

| status_system = IUCN2.3

| taxon = Trichomycterus rivulatus

| authority = Valenciennes, 1846

| synonyms =

|status_ref={{cite iucn |author=World Conservation Monitoring Centre |date=1996 |title=Trichomycterus rivulatus |volume=1996 |page=e.T22124A9361319 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T22124A9361319.en |access-date=15 November 2021}}

}}

Trichomycterus rivulatus is a species of pencil catfish that is native to high-altitude Andean streams and lakes (including Junin, Poopó and Titicaca) in southern Peru, western Bolivia and northern Chile.{{FishBase |genus= Trichomycterus|species= rivulatus| month = February | year = 2012}} It is the largest species in the genus Trichomycterus and grows to a maximum length of {{convert|37.4|cm|in}} TL. The species is regularly caught as a food fish. However, because of pollution, studies have revealed levels of metals in T. rivulatus of Lake Titicaca that exceed the internationally recommended safety thresholds for human consumption.{{cite journal | author1=Sostoa, A. | author2=A. Maceda-Veiga | author3=M. Monroy | year=2014 | title=Metal concentration in water, sediment and four fish species from Lake Titicaca reveals a large-scale environmental concern | journal= Science of the Total Environment| volume=487 | pages=233–244 | doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.03.134 | pmid=24784748 | bibcode=2014ScTEn.487..233M }}