Hypancistrus zebra is an endemic Loricariidae from the Xingu River, Brazil, occurring in an area of just over 150 km (a large part of this area currently impacted by the Belo Monte Dam).
The adult reaches 7 or 8 centimeters and live in shallow habitats (0 to 8 meters deep) of the rocky areas of the Xingu River.
They are essentially carnivores, eating small mollusks, insect larvae, and other invertebrates associated with freshwater sponges (Porifera).
They often occur in crevices and narrow spaces between large rock granitoid boulders (gneiss).
This species has been in the world aquarium market since the 1980s and its captive breeding has been dominated in Europe, Asia and the USA since the early 1990s.
In 2004 it has entered the list of endangered species and since then its capture has been illegal.
Currently, the greatest risk to the survival of this species in nature are the environmental changes coming from the Belo Monte Dam and, not less important, from the continuous traffic of specimens captured clandestinely and sent to international trade. This demand for wild specimens has had significant impacts on populations that were not affected by the Belo Monte dam.