Taxonomy & naming
Hypoptopoma muzuspi was described by Aquino and Schaefer in 2010, within their revision of the genus Hypoptopoma. It is placed in the subfamily Hypoptopomatinae of the family Loricariidae, the lineage of small suckermouth armoured catfishes.
The genus Hypoptopoma comprises slender, flattened dwarf loricariids with prominent, laterally placed eyes. H. muzuspi is a narrow-range endemic of the Rio Tocantins basin in Brazil.
Morphology
Hypoptopoma muzuspi reaches about 1.5 in total length, making it one of the smaller species in its genus. It shows the flattened, fully armoured body, ventral suckermouth and large lateral eyes characteristic of Hypoptopoma.
No data on sexual dimorphism in this species are published in the sources consulted.
Habitat
The species is known only from the Rio Agua Fria, a watercourse within the Rio Araguaia drainage — the main tributary of the Rio Tocantins — in Brazil. FishBase classifies it as a freshwater, benthopelagic, tropical species.
Detailed water-chemistry, depth and seasonal data for the type locality are not published in the sources consulted. As a single-river endemic, the species has an inherently restricted documented range.
Feeding
No species-specific diet data have been published for Hypoptopoma muzuspi in the sources consulted. Members of the genus, like other Hypoptopomatinae, are generally grazers of algae, biofilm and associated micro-organisms on submerged surfaces.
Mating
No data on courtship or mating behaviour have been published for this species in the sources consulted.
Breeding
No breeding data — reproductive mode, clutch size, or parental care — have been published for Hypoptopoma muzuspi in the sources consulted.
In the aquarium
Hypoptopoma muzuspi is not an established aquarium subject, and no species-specific husbandry record is available in the sources consulted. Small Hypoptopoma kept in the hobby are generally maintained like otocinclus in mature, clean, well-oxygenated tanks with abundant grazing surfaces, but no detailed care guidance can be given for this species without inventing detail.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List assessed Hypoptopoma muzuspi as Least Concern in 2018. As a narrow-range endemic known only from a single river in the Araguaia–Tocantins system, the species could be sensitive to local habitat change, though no specific population trend or threat data are provided in the sources consulted.