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Catfish are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia, the wels catfish of Eurasia, and the piraíba of South America, to detritivores, and even to a tiny parasitic species commonly called the candiru, Vandellia cirrhosa. Neither the armour-plated types nor the naked types have scales. Despite their name, not all catfish have prominent barbels or "whiskers". Members of the Siluriformes order are defined by features of the skull and swimbladder. Catfish are of considerable commercial importance; many of the larger species are farmed or fished for food. Many of the smaller species, particularly the genus Corydoras, are important in the aquarium hobby. Many catfish are nocturnal, but others are crepuscular or diurnal.
The Aspredinidae are a small South American family of catfishes also known as the banjo catfishes, with about 43 species.
Brachyplatystoma is a genus of catfish from the family Pimelodidae. As the occasionally used common name goliath catfishes indicates, this genus includes some of the largest species of catfish, including the piraíba, B. filamentosum, which reaches up to the region of 3.6 metres (12 ft) in length. Brachyplatystoma are found in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, and other tropical freshwater and brackish habitats in South America. Some species are migratory. These fish are important as food fish and, to some extent, aquarium fish.
Platynematichthys notatus, the coroatá or striped catfish, is a species of catfish of the monotypic genus Platynematichthys of the family Pimelodidae. It is native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins in South America. In the Orinoco this distinctly spotted species reaches up to 1 m (3.3 ft) in standard length, but it reportedly only reaches about half that size in the Amazon.
Sisoroidea is a superfamily of catfishes. It contains the four families Amblycipitidae, Akysidae, Sisoridae, and Erethistidae; many sources also include Aspredinidae. With Aspredinidae, this superfamily includes about 42 genera and 230 species.
Hisonotus is a genus of armored catfishes native to South America. Species of Hisonotus and Curculionichthys are the only representatives of the subfamily Otothyrinae having serrae on the posterior edge of the pectoral fin spine. These species are small fishes, generally found in small fast flowing streams, where they grasp to the branches and leaves of aquatic or subaquatic plants. The species of this genus mostly occur in Atlantic coastal streams of southern Brazil and the Paraguay-Paraná system of southern South America. They are also distributed in the Río de La Plata basin and coastal rivers of southeastern Brazil.
Acanthobunocephalus nicoi is the only species of catfish in the genus Acanthobunocephalus of the family Aspredinidae. This species is known from only three localities and appears to be restricted to the upper Orinoco River system of Venezuela and possibly the upper Rio Negro system of Brazil.
Amaralia is a genus of catfish of the family Aspredinidae native to Amazon and Paraná-Paraguay basin. These species appear to be specialized to feed on the eggs of other catfishes; eggs found in Amaralia stomachs are thought to be those of loricariids.
Aspredinichthys is a genus of banjo catfishes found in fresh and brackish waters in tropical South America from the Orinoco delta, through the Guianas, to the Amazon delta. Both species are found in lower portions of rivers and in coastal waters of northern South America from Venezuela to northern Brazil where they are benthic fish.
Pterobunocephalus is a genus of banjo catfishes found in tropical South America.
Ernstichthys is a genus of banjo catfishes that occurs in the Amazon and Orinoco basins.
Hoplomyzon is a genus of banjo catfishes that are native to tropical South America.
Xyliphius is a genus of banjo catfishes from South America.
Micromyzon akamai is a species of catfish in the family Aspredinidae.
Bunocephalus is a genus of banjo catfishes from South America. It is found in Magdalena, Orinoco, Amazon, Paraguay-Paraná, and São Francisco Rivers. It is also the only aspredinid genus found west of the Andes, found in the Atrato, San Juan, and Patía Rivers. This genus is a part of the family Aspredinidae, known as banjo catfishes for their large, flattened heads and slender tails that give the appearance of a banjo. Most species exhibit cryptic coloration, and the same holds true among Bunocephalus species. The skin is completely keratinized and is covered by large, unculiferous tubercles. Bunocephalus species may reach up to 13 centimetres SL.
Pseudobunocephalus is a genus of banjo catfishes.
Amaralia hypsiura, is a species of catfish of the family Aspredinidae. A. hypsiura are found throughout the Amazon River basin. They are medium-sized aspredinids. These fish have a deep, laterally compressed caudal peduncle, a reduced dorsal fin with only 2–3 rays, and well-developed head ornamentation.
Adontosternarchus is a genus of ghost knifefishes found in Amazon and Orinoco river basins in tropical South America. They have blunt snouts, a dark-spotted or -mottled pattern on a pale background and reach up to 18.5–32.2 cm (7.3–12.7 in) in total length. They feed on zooplankton and can be found quite deep, with A. devenanzii recorded down to 84 m (276 ft).
Sternarchella, the bulldog knifefish, is a genus of ghost knifefishes found at depths of 2–50 m (7–164 ft) in the main channel of large rivers in South America. Most are from the Amazon basin, but S. orthos is found both in the Amazon and Orinoco, S. orinoco is restricted to the Orinoco and S. curvioperculata restricted to the upper Paraná basin. They are often common in their habitat.
Micromyzon orinoco is a species of catfish in the family Aspredinidae.
References
- ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2017). Species of Micromyzon in FishBase . May 2017 version.
- 1 2 Carvalho, T.P., Lundberg, J.G., Baskin, J.N., Friel, J.P. & Reis, R.E. (2016): A new species of the blind and miniature genus Micromyzon Friel and Lundberg, 1996 (Silurifomes: Aspredinidae) from the Orinoco River: describing catfish diversity using high-resolution computed tomography. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 165 (1): 37-53.
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