''Sturisoma'' 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 catfishes native to
Central and
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
''Sturisoma'' has been shown to be
sister
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...
to ''
Farlowella
''Farlowella'' is a genus of fish in the family Loricariidae native to South America. This genus is broadly distributed in Amazon, Orinoco, Paraná and coastal rivers of the Guyana Shield. It is absent from the Pacific slope of the Andes and fro ...
''.
Species
There are currently 12 recognized species in this genus:
* ''
Sturisoma barbatum''
( Kner, 1853)
* ''
Sturisoma brevirostre''
( C. H. Eigenmann & R. S. Eigenmann, 1889)
* ''
Sturisoma caquetae''
( Henry Weed Fowler, 1945)
* ''
Sturisoma graffini''
Alejandro Londoño-Burbano, 2018
* ''
Sturisoma guentheri''
( Regan, 1904)
* ''
Sturisoma lyra''
( Regan, 1904)
* ''
Sturisoma monopelte''
Fowler, 1914
* ''
Sturisoma nigrirostrum''
Fowler, 1940
* ''
Sturisoma reisi''
Londoño-Burbano & Britto, 2022[Londoño-Burbano, Alejandro & Britto, Marcelo. (2022). A new species of Sturisoma Swainson, 1838 (Loricariidae: Loricariinae) from the Madeira River basin, with a discussion of historical biogeography of western Amazonas and Paraguay River basins. Journal of fish biology. 102. 10.1111/jfb.15251. ]
* ''
Sturisoma robustum''
( Regan, 1904)
* ''
Sturisoma rostratum''
( Spix & Agassiz, 1829)
* ''
Sturisoma tenuirostre''
( Steindachner, 1910)
Distribution
The species of the genus ''Sturisoma'' are widely distributed on both slopes 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
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
and
Colombia, and in the
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...
,
Orinoco, and
Paraná River basins.
Description
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
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 sides of the head of the male.
Ecology
Sturisoma inhabit gently to swiftly flowing white waters where submerged wood is abundant in the main flow of rivers.
''Sturisoma'' species are open brooders.
References
Fish of South America
Fish of the Amazon basin
Freshwater fish genera
Catfish genera
Taxa named by William John Swainson
{{Loricariidae-stub