''Pogonopoma'' 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 rivers in
south and
southeast Brazil
The Southeast Region of Brazil ( pt, Região Sudeste do Brasil; ) is composed of the states of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo State, São Paulo. It is the richest region of the country, responsi ...
.
Taxonomy
''Pogonopoma'' is one of three
genera currently valid in the
tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...
Rhinelepini
Rhinelepini is a tribe of fishes in the subfamily Hypostominae of the armored suckermouth catfish family Loricariidae.
Taxonomy
This tribe is a well diagnosed monophyletic group currently containing three genera: '' Pogonopoma'', '' Pseudorin ...
. ''Pogonopomoides'', previously a valid genus, was placed in
synonymy
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
with ''Pogonopoma''.
This genus and ''
Rhinelepis'' have a
sister group relationship.
[
]
Species
There are currently three recognized species in this genus:
Appearance and anatomy
As loricariids, ''Pogonopoma'' species all exhibit a suckermouth In fish, a suckermouth is a ventrally-oriented (inferior) mouth adapted for grazing on algae and small organisms that grow on submerged objects.
All Loricariidae possess a suckermouth as do the cypriniform algae eaters of the genus ''Gyrinocheilus' ...
and an at least slightly flattened ventral
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 prov ...
surface. However, unlike many loricariids, they have circular pupils, which differs from most members of the family that have an omega iris
The Loricariidae is the largest family of catfish (order Siluriformes), with 92 genera and just over 680 species. Loricariids originate from freshwater habitats of Costa Rica, Panama, and tropical and subtropical South America. These fish are ...
. ''Pogonopoma'' species are heavily armored except on their abdomen (the belly in the case of loricariids), which is relatively unplated.[
''P. wertheimeri'' is a cylindrically shaped loricariid. The cheek is covered in long, thin, non-evertible ]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 that form a dense patch.pectoral
Pectoral may refer to:
* The chest region and anything relating to it.
* Pectoral cross, a cross worn on the chest
* a decorative, usually jeweled version of a gorget
* Pectoral (Ancient Egypt), a type of jewelry worn in ancient Egypt
* Pectorali ...
and pelvic fins compared to other species of the tribe Rhinelepini. The gill openings are not as large as those in ''Rhinelepis''. Also, this species lacks long cheek odontodes and the adipose fin.[
''P. obscurum'', unlike ''P. wertheimeri'', simultaneously lacks an adipose fin and cheek odontodes. Its ]dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...
base is also longer than of other members of this genus.[
]
References
External links
* (contains excerpts from cited papers)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5034382
Hypostominae
Fish of South America
Catfish genera
Taxa named by Charles Tate Regan
Freshwater fish genera