''Rineloricaria melini'' is a
species of
catfish in the family
Loricariidae. It is native to
South America, where it occurs in the
Amazon River
The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile.
The headwaters of t ...
basin in
Brazil. The species reaches 13 cm (5.1 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 the maximum length can reaches 18–20 cm and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.
''Rineloricaria melini'' appears in the aquarium trade, where it is typically referred to as the dappled whiptail catfish.
References
Fish described in 1959
Suckermouth catfish of Brazil
Fish of the Amazon basin
Loricariini
{{Loricariinae-stub