''Loricariichthys'' 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 ...

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

es (

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Siluriformes) of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Loricariidae.

Taxonomy

This genus is part of the ''Loricariichthys'' group within the subfamily Loricariinae; this group also includes the genera '' Furcodontichthys'', ''

Hemiodontichthys ''Hemiodontichthys acipenserinus'' is the only species of the monotypic genus ''Hemiodontichthys'', a genus of the family Loricariidae of catfish ( order Siluriformes). Taxonomy This taxon is often compared with the morphologically similar '' ...

'', '' Limatulichthys'', and ''

Pseudoloricaria ''Pseudoloricaria laeviuscula'' is the only species of the monotypic genus ''Pseudoloricaria'', a genus of the family Loricariidae of catfish (order Siluriformes). The phylogenetic position of ''Pseudoloricaria'' is uncertain. This species is ...

''. ''Loricariichthys'' seems to be intermediate between ''Limatulichthys'' and ''Pseudoloricaria'' on one hand, and ''Furcodontichthys'' and ''Hemiodontichthys'' on the other. Although this genus is well diagnosed, the species are very similar and difficult to identify.

Species

There are currently 18 recognized species in this genus: * ''

Loricariichthys acutus ''Loricariichthys acutus'' is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it is known only from Brazil. The species reaches 28 cm (11 inches) in standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of indivi ...

'' (

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...

, 1840) * ''

Loricariichthys anus ''Loricariichthys anus'' is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in coastal rivers of southern Brazil, as well as the drainage basins of the Uruguay River and the lower Paraná River in ...

'' (

, 1835) * ''

Loricariichthys brunneus ''Loricariichthys brunneus'', commonly called Alcalde , Paleta or Tabla is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Orinoco basin in Guyana and Venezuela. The species is believed t ...

'' ( Hancock, 1828) * ''

Loricariichthys cashibo ''Loricariichthys cashibo'' commonly called Carachama (but this name is also used for other species) is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is endemic to Peru, where it occurs in the upper Amazon River The Amazon River (, ; ...

'' ( C. H. Eigenmann & W. R. Allen, 1942) * ''

Loricariichthys castaneus ''Loricariichthys castaneus'', the Cascudo-viola is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is endemic to Brazil, where it occurs in coastal streams in southeastern part of the country, ranging from São Paulo to Espírito Santo, inc ...

'' ( Castelnau, 1855) * ''

Loricariichthys chanjoo ''Loricariichthys chanjoo'', one of a number of ''Loricariichthys'' species commmonly known as Shitari, is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is endemic to Peru, where it occurs in the Ucayali River The Ucayali River ( es, Rí ...

'' ( Fowler, 1940) * ''

Loricariichthys derbyi ''Loricariichthys derbyi'', commonly known as Cari, is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is endemic to Brazil, where it occurs in the Jaguaribe River basin. The species reaches in total length Fish measurement is the measuring ...

'' Fowler, 1915 * ''

Loricariichthys edentatus ''Loricariichthys edentatus'' is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the lower Uruguay River basin in Entre Ríos Province in Argentina, and also in Brazil. It has no teeth on the ...

'' R. E. dos Reis & E. H. L. Pereira, 2000 * '' Loricariichthys hauxwelli'' Fowler, 1915 * ''

Loricariichthys labialis ''Loricariichthys labialis'' is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is a freshwater fish native to South America, where it occurs in the basins of the Paraguay River and the middle Paraná River in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and ...

'' (

Boulenger Boulenger is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Benjamin Boulenger (born 1990), French footballer * Edward George Boulenger (1888–1946), British zoologist, director of aquarium at London Zoo * George Albert Boulenger (1858–1 ...

, 1895) * '' Loricariichthys maculatus'' (

Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A–F * (1859-1914), French rabbi *Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881-1925), Austrian entrepreneur *Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter * (born 1972), German motor journal ...

, 1794) * '' Loricariichthys melanocheilus'' R. E. dos Reis & E. H. L. Pereira, 2000 * ''

Loricariichthys microdon ''Loricariichthys microdon'' is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Rupununi basin in Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country ...

'' ( C. H. Eigenmann, 1909) * '' Loricariichthys nudirostris'' ( Kner, 1853) * '' Loricariichthys platymetopon'' Isbrücker & Nijssen, 1979 * '' Loricariichthys rostratus'' R. E. dos Reis & E. H. L. Pereira, 2000 * ''

Loricariichthys stuebelii ''Loricariichthys stuebelii'' is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Huallaga River basin in the upper Amazon River drainage in Peru. The species reaches in standard length Fish ...

'' (

Steindachner Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner describ ...

, 1882) * '' Loricariichthys ucayalensis''

Regan The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' ...

, 1913

Distribution

''Loricariichthys'' is distributed in most major freshwater drainages east of the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

and north of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. ''Loricariichthys'' is widely distributed in the

Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

, the Paraná system, and coastal rivers of the

Guiana The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories: * French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France * ...

and

Brazilian Shield The Amazonian Craton is a geologic province located in South America. It occupies a large portion of the central, north and eastern part of the continent and represents one of Earth's largest cratonic regions. The Guiana Shield and Central Brazi ...

Description

An accessory

respiration organ The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies grea ...

, consisting of a double respiratory purse connected to the

distal Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position pro ...

end of the

esophagus The esophagus (American English) or oesophagus (British English; both ), non-technically known also as the food pipe or gullet, is an organ in vertebrates through which food passes, aided by peristaltic contractions, from the pharynx to the ...

, is present in a number of species of ''Loricariichthys''. The lower lip of immature males and females has two thick, cushionlike structures, which are covered with small

papilla Papilla (Latin, 'nipple') or papillae may refer to: In animals * Papilla (fish anatomy), in the mouth of fish * Basilar papilla, a sensory organ of lizards, amphibians and fish * Dental papilla, in a developing tooth * Dermal papillae, part of ...

e and have irregular fringes along the posterior edge. However, in nuptial males of ''Loricariichthys'', the cushionlike structures on the lower lip recede or even disappear, and the lip becomes wider and longer and becomes smooth or covered with minute papillae. Males use this enlarged lower lip to clasp and carry a cluster of developing

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

s. This method of carrying eggs is possibly a strategy to protect the eggs from

predation Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

, since these fishes commonly live in exposed sandy- or muddy-bottomed environments devoid of places to hide. A

diploid number Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respective ...

of 2n = 56 has been reported for two species characterized. A ZZ/ZW sex chromosome system was also reported for ''L. platymetopon''.

Ecology

These species occur in a large diversity of habitat over sandy and muddy bottoms. Like other members of the ''Loricariichthys'' group, ''Loricariichthys'' species are lip brooders. The male holds the clutch of eggs in a large membranous extension of the lower lip.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3766327 Loricariini Fish of South America Fish of the Amazon basin Catfish genera Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker Freshwater fish genera