''Neblinichthys'' is a small

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 suckermouth armored catfishes 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 ...

Species

There are currently six recognized species in this genus: * '' Neblinichthys brevibracchium'' Taphorn, Armbruster, López-Fernández & C. R. Bernard, 2010 * '' Neblinichthys echinasus'' Taphorn, Armbruster, López-Fernández & C. R. Bernard, 2010 * '' Neblinichthys peniculatus'' Armbruster & Taphorn, 2013Armbruster, J.W. & Taphorn, D.C. (2013)
Description of ''Neblinichthys peniculatus'', a new species of loricariid catfish from the río Paragua drainage of Venezuela.
''Neotropical Ichthyology, 11 (1): 65-72.'' * '' Neblinichthys pilosus'' Ferraris, Isbrücker & Nijssen, 1986 * '' Neblinichthys roraima'' Provenzano, Lasso & Ponte, 1995 * '' Neblinichthys yaravi'' ( Steindachner, 1915)

Etymology

According to FishBase, ''Neblinichthys'' is derived from the Latin ''nebula'' which means ''mist'' or ''vapor'', and ''ichthys'' for ''fish''. However, it has been stated by some sources that ''Neblinichthys'' actually owes its name to a base camp known as Neblina ("fog" in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

) where the type specimen of ''N. pilosus'', the type species of the genus, was reportedly collected. The camp that the genus was named for is likely named after the

Cerro de la Neblina Cerro de la Neblina (lit. "Mountain of the Mist"), also known as Serra da Neblina in Brazil and Sierra de la Neblina in Venezuela, is a sandstone massif located in the northern Amazon Basin. It is a tilted, heavily eroded plateau, with a deep ca ...

, which is a prominent

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

in the area, and documentation of nearby base camps named for the massif exists. The authors of the description of ''N. pilosus'' state that ''Neblinichthys'' derives its name from the type locality, which is listed as the massif itself rather than a camp located nearby, an explanation which should be taken as the correct etymology for the genus as it is included in its original description.Ferraris, C.J., Isbrücker, I.J., & Nijssen, H.M. (1986). Neblinichthys pilosus, a new genus and species of mailed catfish from the Rio Baria system, southern Venezuela (Pisces, Siluriformes, Loricariidae). This means that an accurate translation of the genus' name is "fish from the Cerro de la Neblina", even though not all species in the genus are found in the area, with some being found in entirely different countries and river systems from ''N. pilosus''.

Appearance and anatomy

''Neblinichthys'' species are unique in that the breeding males have a snout brush formed by elongate, bristle-like odontodes pointing forwards on the snout. More fairly elongated odontodes are found on the top of the head and on the body. Otherwise they appear rather similar to ''

Lasiancistrus ''Lasiancistrus'' is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes. They are native to South America and Panama. Taxonomy ''Lasiancistrus'' was first described as a subgenus of ''Ancistrus'' in 1904, including ''A. heteracanthus'', ''A. pictus'', '' ...

'' species. Females and juveniles may be differentiated from ''Lasiancistrus'' species by the lack of cheek whiskers. ''Neblinichthys'' species also have their

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 ...

and pelvic fin spines the same length.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6431395 Ancistrini Fish of South America Fish of Venezuela Catfish genera Taxa named by Isaäc J. H. Isbrücker Taxa named by Han Nijssen Freshwater fish genera