Taxonomy & naming
Microlepidogaster discus was described by Martins, Rosa and Langeani in 2014 in Zootaxa (volume 3873, number 5, pages 560–570). It is a member of the family Loricariidae, subfamily Hypoptopomatinae, and is treated as valid by the Catalog of Fishes (Eschmeyer, CAS). It should not be confused with Acestridium discus, a separate species in a different genus.
The genus name Microlepidogaster refers to the small bony plating of the belly. The specific epithet discus is Latin for a flat circular plate or disc, given as a noun in apposition; it refers to the reduced, rounded shape of the first plates in the mid-ventral lateral plate series, a diagnostic feature of the species.
Morphology
Microlepidogaster discus is a small, elongated loricariid reaching about 2 in standard length in the known material — the largest of the three Microlepidogaster species covered in this batch. Published meristics record 9 dorsal soft rays, 6 anal soft rays, and 31 vertebrae.
Its defining feature is the set of reduced, round (disc-like) first plates in the mid-ventral lateral plate series, the character behind its name. No detail on live coloration is given in the consulted sources, and FishBase carries no image of the species.
Habitat
The species is known from the rio Jequitinhonha basin in southeastern Brazil. It is a freshwater, demersal fish of tropical waters.
Like other members of the genus, Microlepidogaster discus is a facultative air-breather. A notable behavioural observation from the original description is that handled specimens fold their lips longitudinally — the right and left halves, together with the barbels, meeting at the midline. Specific data on substrate, flow, and water chemistry at the collection sites are not detailed in the consulted sources.
Feeding
No dietary study specific to Microlepidogaster discus is available in the consulted sources. As a small hypoptopomatine loricariid with a ventral suckermouth, it can reasonably be expected to graze biofilm — algae, diatoms, and associated micro-organisms — from submerged surfaces, the general feeding mode of the subfamily. Direct dietary observations have not been published.
Mating
No courtship or mating behaviour has been documented for Microlepidogaster discus in the consulted sources.
Breeding
No breeding data have been published for Microlepidogaster discus in the consulted sources. Spawning mode, clutch size, and any parental care remain undocumented.
In the aquarium
Microlepidogaster discus is a small, range-restricted species with no established presence in the aquarium hobby, and no husbandry information is available in the consulted sources. It is documented here as a wild species rather than an aquarium subject.
Conservation
Microlepidogaster discus has not been evaluated for the IUCN Red List (status Not Evaluated, per FishBase, Version 2025-2). No formal conservation assessment exists. Its known distribution is restricted to the rio Jequitinhonha basin; the consulted sources do not detail specific threats.