Loricaria
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''Loricaria'' is a
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of armored catfish 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 sout ...
.


Taxonomy

''Loricaria'' was the first genus of the family Loricariidae described. Thus, it is the nominal genus of the family Loricariidae.
Phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
relationships within ''Loricaria'' and among other members of Loricariini remain uncertain. Its external morphology shows few shared derived characters, making comparison with other genera difficult. ''Loricaria'' has been hypothesized to occupy a basal position among members of the subtribe Loricariina, with the other genera possessing derived characters. Based on the characteristics of its mouth, ''Loricaria'' appears to maintain a close relationship with representatives of the '' Pseudohemiodon'' group. ''Proloricaria'' is considered a synonym of ''Loricaria''.


Species

These are the currently recognized species in this genus: * '' Loricaria apeltogaster'' Boulenger, 1895 * '' Loricaria birindellii'' M. R. Thomas & Sabaj Pérez, 2010 * '' Loricaria cataphracta''
Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
, 1758
* '' Loricaria clavipinna'' Fowler, 1940 * '' Loricaria coximensis'' M. S. Rodriguez, Cavallaro & M. R. Thomas, 2012Rodriguez, M.S., Cavallaro, M.R. & Thomas, M.R. (2012): ''A New Diminutive Species of'' Loricaria ''(Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the Rio Paraguay System, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.'' Copeia 2012, (1): 49–56. * '' Loricaria cuffyi'' Alejandro Londoño-Burbano, Alexander Urbano-Bonilla & Matthew R. Thomas, 2020Londoño‐Burbano, A., Urbano‐Bonilla, A., & Thomas, M. R. (2020). Loricaria cuffyi (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), a new species of loricariin catfish from the Guiana Shield. Journal of Fish Biology. doi:10.1111/jfb.14566 * '' Loricaria holmbergi'' M. S. Rodriguez & Miquelarena, 2005 * '' Loricaria lata'' C. H. Eigenmann & R. S. Eigenmann, 1889 * '' Loricaria lentiginosa'' Isbrücker, 1979 * '' Loricaria luciae'' M. R. Thomas, M. S. Rodriguez, Cavallaro, Froehlich & R. M. C. Castro, 2013 Thomas, M.R., Rodriguez, M.S., Cavallaro, M.R., Froehlich, O. & Corrêa E Castro, R.M. (2013): ''Loricaria luciae'', a new species of whiptail catfish (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the Paraguay and lower Paraná River basins of southeastern South America. ''Zootaxa, 3745 (3): 365–378.'' * '' Loricaria lundbergi'' M. R. Thomas & Rapp Py-Daniel, 2008 * '' Loricaria nickeriensis'' Isbrücker, 1979 * '' Loricaria parnahybae'' Steindachner, 1907 * '' Loricaria piracicabae'' R. Ihering ( pt), 1907 * '' Loricaria pumila'' M. R. Thomas & Rapp Py-Daniel, 2008 * '' Loricaria simillima'' Regan, 1904 * '' Loricaria spinulifera'' M. R. Thomas & Rapp Py-Daniel, 2008 * '' Loricaria tucumanensis'' Isbrücker, 1979


Distribution and habitat

This genus is distributed 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 ...
in nearly the entire tropical and subtropical parts of South America. Species occur in a variety of habitats from the main flow of rivers on sandy and rocky bottoms to flooded areas and lakes over muddy and sandy bottoms.


Description

''Loricaria'' species are recognized by the presence of elongate, slender filaments on the lips and a low number of bicuspid
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 ...
ry
teeth A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, t ...
(usually three to four per side) that are about twice the length of the
dentary In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bone ...
teeth.
Sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most an ...
includes hypertrophied development of the
pectoral fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...
spines, blunt
odontode Odontodes, or dermal teeth, are hard structures found on the external surfaces of animals or near internal openings. They consist of a soft pulp surrounded by dentine and covered by a mineralized substance such as enamel, a structure similar to th ...
s on the
pelvic The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The p ...
and anal fin spines, and tooth crowns becoming shortened and rounded in mature males. For the four species characterized,
karyotypic A karyotype is the general appearance of the complete set of metaphase chromosomes in the cells of a species or in an individual organism, mainly including their sizes, numbers, and shapes. Karyotyping is the process by which a karyotype is disce ...
diversity ranges from 2n = 62 to 2n = 68.


Ecology

The site of egg deposition varies between different members of the genus. In some species, eggs are carried on the enlarged lower lip of the male. ''L. piracicabae'' has its egg adherent to its ventral surface. Males are abdomino-lip brooders.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1755146 Loricariini Fish of South America Catfish genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Freshwater fish genera