Taxonomy & naming
Parotocinclus jacksoni was described by Ramos, Lustosa-Costa, Barros-Neto and Barbosa in 2021 in the Journal of Fish Biology, in a paper titled 'Parotocinclus jacksoni, a new hypoptopomatine catfish (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the Rio Mamanguape, northeastern Brazil.' The Catalog of Fishes (Eschmeyer, CAS) lists it under spid 76660 with the authority Ramos, Lustosa-Costa, Barros-Neto & Barbosa, 2021.
It belongs to the subfamily Hypoptopomatinae within the family Loricariidae. The species was diagnosed by a combination of characters including an abdomen covered by few small, dispersed platelets; a laterally exposed pectoral girdle bearing odontodes; the absence of golden lines on the head and body; premaxillary teeth numbering 20–26 and dentary teeth 19–23; and an ellipsoid caudal peduncle in cross-section.
The specific epithet honours Jackson do Pandeiro (José Gomes Filho, 1919–1982), the celebrated Brazilian Forró and samba singer-composer, who was born in Alagoa Grande within the Rio Mamanguape basin.
Morphology
Parotocinclus jacksoni reaches about 1.5 in in standard length, making it a comparatively large member of its genus among the species in this batch. It has the depressed, fully armoured hypoptopomatine body with a ventral suckermouth.
Diagnostic features noted in the original description include an abdomen covered by only a few small, dispersed platelets, a laterally exposed pectoral girdle supporting odontodes, an absence of golden lines on the head and body, and an ellipsoid caudal-peduncle cross-section. Dentition comprises 20–26 premaxillary teeth and 19–23 dentary teeth.
Habitat
The species is endemic to the Rio Mamanguape basin in Paraíba state, northeastern Brazil. It is a freshwater, benthopelagic fish of tropical waters.
It is generally found in fast-flowing rivers with clean water over rock-and-gravel bottoms and sandy substrate, with marginal vegetation of dense shrubs and sparse trees. It co-occurs with a range of other fishes, including Hypostomus pusarum, Rhamdia quelen, Astyanax species, Crenicichla brasiliensis, and Hoplias malabaricus. No specific water-chemistry or temperature figures for this species are published in the sources available here.
Feeding
No diet study specific to Parotocinclus jacksoni is published in the sources available here. As a member of the genus it is presumed to be a herbivore/detritivore that grazes algae, biofilm, and fine detritus from the rock, gravel, and sand surfaces of its habitat, but no direct feeding data are cited, so its specific diet remains undocumented.
Mating
No data on courtship or mating behaviour for Parotocinclus jacksoni are published in the sources available here.
Breeding
No data on reproduction, spawning mode, clutch size, or parental care for Parotocinclus jacksoni are published in the sources available here.
In the aquarium
Parotocinclus jacksoni is a recently described endemic and is not present in the ornamental trade; no aquarium-husbandry data for it are published in the sources available here. Its association with fast-flowing, clean, well-oxygenated rivers over rock and gravel suggests it would have demanding current and water-quality requirements, but specific care recommendations cannot be made from the available material without speculation.
Conservation
Parotocinclus jacksoni has not yet been evaluated for the IUCN Red List (status: Not Evaluated). As a species known only from a single northeastern Brazilian drainage, the Rio Mamanguape basin, its narrow range and dependence on clean, fast-flowing water would warrant a formal conservation assessment. Coastal northeastern Brazilian rivers face pressures from water abstraction, agriculture, and habitat alteration that could affect a range-restricted endemic of this kind.