''Loricariichthys edentatus'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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, ...

in the family Loricariidae. It is 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 ...

, 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

premaxilla The premaxilla (or praemaxilla) is one of a pair of small cranial bones at the very tip of the upper jaw of many animals, usually, but not always, bearing teeth. In humans, they are fused with the maxilla. The "premaxilla" of therian mammal has b ...

, a unique feature in the genus ''

Loricariichthys ''Loricariichthys'' is a genus of catfishes ( order Siluriformes) of the family Loricariidae. Taxonomy This genus is part of the ''Loricariichthys'' group within the subfamily Loricariinae; this group also includes the genera '' Furcodontichthy ...

''. The species reaches 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) in

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.

References

*Miquelarena, Amalia M., and Hugo L. López. "Considerations on the ichthyofauna of the Uruguay River Basin: Hemiancistrus fuliginosus Cardoso & Malabarba, 1999 (Loricariidae: Ancistrinae)." Journal of Applied Ichthyology20.3 (2004): 234–237. *López, Hugo L., et al. "Biogeographical revision of Argentina (Andean and Neotropical Regions): an analysis using freshwater fishes." Journal of Biogeography 35.9 (2008): 1564–1579. *Rodríguez, Mónica Sonia. Sistemática y distribución geográfica de peces de la familia Loricariidae (Ostariophysi: siluriformes) de la Argentina, con especial referencia a la tribu Loricariini. Diss. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, 2003. Loricariini Fish of South America Taxa named by Roberto Esser dos Reis Taxa named by Edson H.L. Pereira Fish described in 2000 {{loricariidae-stub

References

Further reading