The Prochilodontidae, or flannel-mouthed characins, are a small family of freshwater fishes found primarily in the northern half of
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 ...
, south to
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
and northern
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. This family is closely related to the
Curimatidae
The Curimatidae, toothless characins, are a family of freshwater fishes, of the order Characiformes. They originate from southern Costa Rica to northern Argentina. The family has around 105 species, many of them frequently exploited for human con ...
, and in the past they were included in
Characidae
Characidae, the characids or characins is a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish, belonging to the order Characiformes. The name "characins" is the historical one, but scientists today tend to prefer "characids" to reflect their ...
.
These fish have fleshy lips with rows of small teeth; their lips are able to be extended into a sucking disc. The largest species reach up to in length, and live in huge schools, making them a popular food fish. They travel upriver to spawn, and make audible grunting noises that have been described as resembling the sound of a motorbike.
Species
The family has around 21 species in three genera:
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Ichthyoelephas
''Ichthyoelephas'' is a genus of South American freshwater fish from the family Prochilodontidae.
There are two species in the genus: ''I. humeralis'' reaches a length of at least and is found in the Santiago and Guayas river basins in Ecuador ...
''
** ''
Ichthyoelephas humeralis''
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Ichthyoelephas longirostris''
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Prochilodus
''Prochilodus'' is a genus of freshwater fish from the family Prochilodontidae. This family include two other genera, '' Ichthyoelephas'' and ''Semaprochilodus'', which have been included in ''Prochilodus'' instead. The greatest species richness ...
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** ''
Prochilodus argenteus
''Prochilodus'' is a genus of freshwater fish from the family Prochilodontidae. This family include two other genera, ''Ichthyoelephas'' and ''Semaprochilodus'', which have been included in ''Prochilodus'' instead. The greatest species richness o ...
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Prochilodus brevis
''Prochilodus'' is a genus of freshwater fish from the family Prochilodontidae. This family include two other genera, ''Ichthyoelephas'' and ''Semaprochilodus'', which have been included in ''Prochilodus'' instead. The greatest species richness o ...
'' - Brazilian bocachico
** ''
Prochilodus britskii
''Prochilodus'' is a genus of freshwater fish from the family Prochilodontidae. This family include two other genera, ''Ichthyoelephas'' and ''Semaprochilodus'', which have been included in ''Prochilodus'' instead. The greatest species richness o ...
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Prochilodus costatus''
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Prochilodus hartii''
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Prochilodus lacustris''
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Prochilodus lineatus
''Prochilodus lineatus'', the streaked prochilod, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Prochilodontidae. It is native to the Paraná—Paraguay and Paraíba do Sul river basins in South America. It performs long breeding migrations an ...
'' - streaked prochilod
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Prochilodus magdalenae''
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Prochilodus mariae''
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Prochilodus nigricans
''Prochilodus nigricans'', or black prochilodus, is a species of prochilodontid fish from the Amazon Basin in South America. It supports major fisheries; according to IBAMA, it is the third most caught taxon in the Brazilian Amazon by weight, a ...
'' - black prochilodus
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Prochilodus reticulatus'' - Colombian bocachico
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Prochilodus rubrotaeniatus
''Prochilodus'' is a genus of freshwater fish from the family Prochilodontidae. This family include two other genera, ''Ichthyoelephas'' and ''Semaprochilodus'', which have been included in ''Prochilodus'' instead. The greatest species richness o ...
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Prochilodus vimboides
''Prochilodus'' is a genus of freshwater fish from the family Prochilodontidae. This family include two other genera, ''Ichthyoelephas'' and ''Semaprochilodus'', which have been included in ''Prochilodus'' instead. The greatest species richness o ...
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Semaprochilodus
''Semaprochilodus'' is a genus of South American freshwater fish in the family Prochilodontidae. They have sometimes been included in the genus ''Prochilodus'' instead. Of the six species, three are from the Amazon Basin, two from the Orinoco Bas ...
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Semaprochilodus brama
''Semaprochilodus'' is a genus of South American freshwater fish in the family Prochilodontidae. They have sometimes been included in the genus ''Prochilodus'' instead. Of the six species, three are from the Amazon Basin, two from the Orinoco Ba ...
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Semaprochilodus insignis
The kissing prochilodus or flag-tailed prochilodus (''Semaprochilodus insignis'') is a species of South American freshwater fish in the family Prochilodontidae. It is native to central and western parts of the Amazon basin. It is migratory, mo ...
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** ''
Semaprochilodus kneri
''Semaprochilodus'' is a genus of South American freshwater fish in the family Prochilodontidae. They have sometimes been included in the genus ''Prochilodus'' instead. Of the six species, three are from the Amazon Basin, two from the Orinoco Ba ...
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Semaprochilodus laticeps
''Semaprochilodus'' is a genus of South American freshwater fish in the family Prochilodontidae. They have sometimes been included in the genus ''Prochilodus'' instead. Of the six species, three are from the Amazon Basin, two from the Orinoco Ba ...
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Semaprochilodus taeniurus
''Semaprochilodus'' is a genus of South American freshwater fish in the family Prochilodontidae. They have sometimes been included in the genus ''Prochilodus'' instead. Of the six species, three are from the Amazon Basin, two from the Orinoco Ba ...
'' - silver prochilodus
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Semaprochilodus varii
''Semaprochilodus'' is a genus of South American freshwater fish in the family Prochilodontidae. They have sometimes been included in the genus ''Prochilodus'' instead. Of the six species, three are from the Amazon Basin, two from the Orinoco Ba ...
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References
Ray-finned fish families
{{Characiformes-stub