''Ichthyoelephas'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of South American freshwater fish from the family

Prochilodontidae The Prochilodontidae, or flannel-mouthed characins, are a small family of freshwater fishes found primarily in the northern half of South America, south to Paraguay and northern Argentina. This family is closely related to the Curimatidae, and in ...

. There are two species in the genus: ''I. humeralis'' reaches a length of at least and is found in the

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

and Guayas river basins in

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

, and ''I. longirostris'' reaches a length of and is found in the Cauca– Magdalena river basin in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. They feed on algae and

detritus In biology, detritus () is dead particulate organic material, as distinguished from dissolved organic material. Detritus typically includes the bodies or fragments of bodies of dead organisms, and fecal material. Detritus typically hosts commun ...

that are taken off rocks with their fleshy lips. They are commercially important

food fish Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingest ...

Species

There are two species: * ''

Ichthyoelephas humeralis ''Ichthyoelephas'' is a genus of South American freshwater fish from the family Prochilodontidae. There are two species in the genus: ''I. humeralis'' reaches a length of at least and is found in the Santiago River (Ecuador), Santiago and Guaya ...

'' ( Günther, 1860) * '' Ichthyoelephas longirostris'' ( Steindachner, 1879)

References

Prochilodontidae Fish of South America {{Characiformes-stub