''Iheringichthys'' is a small

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 ...

long-whiskered catfish The Pimelodidae, commonly known as the long-whiskered catfishes, are a family of catfishes ( order Siluriformes). Taxonomy The family Pimelodidae has undergone much revision. Currently, it contains about 30 genera and about 90 recognized and kno ...

native to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

Species

There are currently three recognized species in this genus:Azpelicueta, M.d.l.M. & Britski, H.A. (2012)
Iheringichthys syi ''(Siluriformes: Pimelodidae), a new pimelodid species from upper Paraná basin, Brazil.''
Neotropical Ichthyology, 10 (1): 45-52. * ''

Iheringichthys labrosus ''Iheringichthys labrosus'' is a species of long-whiskered catfish native to the Paraná River basin and Uruguay River basin in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, Repúbl ...

'' ( Lütken, 1874) * '' Iheringichthys megalops''

Eigenmann Eigenmann is a surname. Notable persons with that surname include: * Andi Eigenmann (born 1990), Filipino actress * Carl H. Eigenmann (1863–1927), German–American ichthyologist, husband of Rosa Eigenmann * Eduardo de Mesa Eigenmann, birth name ...

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

, 1907 * '' Iheringichthys syi'' Azpelicueta & Britski, 2012

Distribution

All species of ''Iheringichthys'' are distributed in the

Paraná River The Paraná River ( es, Río Paraná, links=no , pt, Rio Paraná, gn, Ysyry Parana) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some ."Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Br ...

basin.

Appearance and anatomy

''Iheringichthys'' species have a narrow, small mouth positioned to point downwards.

Ecology

''I. labrosus'' has been studied to feed off of the bottom, mainly at dawn and during daytime hours. Main items in the diet of ''I. labrosus'' are aquatic insects (mainly

Chironomidae The Chironomidae (informally known as chironomids, nonbiting midges, or lake flies) comprise a family of nematoceran flies with a global distribution. They are closely related to the Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, and Thaumaleidae. Many species ...

) and mollusks (mainly

Bivalvia Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of w ...

). Studies on ''I. labrosus'' demonstrates that this species is non-migratory and does not exhibit any parental care. These fish reproduce all year, with spawning peaking from February to May.

Relationship to humans

''I. labrosus'' is a secondary commercial fish species in the Itaipu Reservoir. With the end of the trophic upsurge period in the Itaipu Reservoir, secondary species may become important resources for the commercial fishery, including ''I. labrosus''. It is an important fish species in other reservoirs of the basin, especially

Promissão Promissão is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 mill ...

and Água Vermelha Reservoirs. It is also an important

sport fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commercial ...

in the sand beaches (“mandizeiros”) fishery along the upper Paraná River channel and main tributaries.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3763142 Pimelodidae Fish of South America Catfish genera Freshwater fish genera Taxa named by Carl H. Eigenmann