Taxonomy & naming
Hisonotus devidei was described by Fábio F. Roxo, Gabriel S. C. Silva, and Bruno F. Melo in 2018, in the Journal of Fish Biology (volume 92, pages 1687–1701). It is recognised as a valid species by the Catalog of Fishes (Eschmeyer, CAS).
The species belongs to the subfamily Hypoptopomatinae, the dwarf suckermouth catfishes, within the family Loricariidae. The specific epithet devidei is an eponym honouring Renato Devide, collector of the holotype.
Hisonotus is a genus of small Hypoptopomatinae distributed across eastern and southern South America. Finer phylogenetic placement of H. devidei within the genus is not summarised in the sources available here.
Morphology
Hisonotus devidei is a very small loricariid, reaching about 1.5 in standard length (measured from a female). It has the oval body cross-section typical of these dwarf catfishes.
The original diagnosis describes a distinctive colour pattern: prominent dark blotches of varied, distinct shapes irregularly arranged along the lateral and dorsal surfaces of the body, and scattered across all the fins. The abdomen bears small plates only in its lateral portions, with the area between the pelvic fins lacking dermal plates. No measured account of sexual dimorphism for this species is available in the sources at hand.
Habitat
Hisonotus devidei is a freshwater, demersal, tropical species native to the rio São Francisco basin in Brazil. It occurs in shallow, clear, swift-flowing water roughly 19.5–39.5 in deep, over substrates of rock, sand, and aquatic macrophytes, and was reported as relatively abundant at the sampled locality. FishBase notes the species as also tolerant of brackish conditions, though it is fundamentally a freshwater fish.
Feeding
Hisonotus devidei is assigned an estimated trophic level of about 2.4, consistent with the grazing habits of dwarf Hypoptopomatinae. Fishes of this group feed primarily by rasping biofilm (aufwuchs) — algae, microorganisms, and fine detritus — from rock, sand, and the surfaces of aquatic plants. No detailed gut-content study specific to this species is available in the sources at hand.
Mating
No account of courtship or mating behaviour in Hisonotus devidei is published in the sources available here.
Breeding
No breeding data for Hisonotus devidei are documented in the sources at hand. Many small Hypoptopomatinae deposit adhesive eggs on plant leaves or other firm surfaces, but no spawning observations specific to this species are available, and none should be inferred.
In the aquarium
Hisonotus devidei is not established in the ornamental trade, and no aquarium husbandry record exists in the sources available here. No captive-care claims specific to this species can be substantiated; any keeping recommendation would be an extrapolation from its small size and shallow, clear, swift-water habitat rather than documented experience.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List assessed Hisonotus devidei as Data Deficient in 2020, indicating that available information is insufficient to evaluate its extinction risk. The species was reported as relatively abundant at its sampled locality, but as a small-range São Francisco basin endemic it would warrant attention to habitat and water-quality changes in its native drainage. No further species-specific threat detail is summarised in the sources available here.