| Peckoltia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Peckoltia compta | |
 | |
| Peckoltia greedoi | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Loricariidae |
| Tribe: | Ancistrini |
| Genus: | Peckoltia A. Miranda-Ribeiro, 1912 |
| Type species | |
| Chaetostomus vittatus Steindachner, 1881 | |
| Synonyms | |
EtsaputuLujan, Armbruster & Rengifo, 2011 Contents | |
Peckoltia is a genus of small South American armored suckermouth catfishes. Many of these fish are popular aquarium fish.
Peckoltia is a basal genus within the tribe Ancistrini of the subfamily Hypostominae. [1] This genus is paraphyletic. [2] At this point, many undescribed species remain. [3] Many of the possibly undescribed species have an identification through the L-number system.
Peckoltia species can be distinguished from most other in the genera in the tribe Ancistrini by having a lateral ridge on the opercle that usually has no odontodes and the teeth on their upper jaw (dentary) forming an angle under 90 degrees; while some genera also have an angled dentary, Peckoltia species lack synapomorphies of these genera. [2] This genus and the closely related Hemiancistrus may be synonymous, as neither genus is supported by synapomorphies. [1] Generally, Peckoltia are considered to be those that have dorsal saddles and bands in the fins, while Heminancistrus have spots and uniform coloration. [3] This genus is also similar to Hypancistrus and Panaque except for differences in teeth. Teeth on both jaws are the same size as opposed to different sizes, which is different from Hypancistrus where the upper jaw teeth are larger. Also, the teeth are villiform (brush-shaped) rather than spoon-shaped, in contrast to the Panaque. [4]
The classification of some of the species in this genus has been confused. P. yaravi has been moved to Neblinichthys . [4] P. sabaji was arbitrarily placed in this genus (as opposed to Hemiancistrus), but may even represent its own genus; later, it has been placed in Hemiancistrus but (Armbruster et al. 2015) placed the species in the genus Peckoltia. [5] Peckoltia bachi is placed in the genus Peckoltichthys and Peckoltia snethlageae and Peckoltia feldbergae are placed in the genus Ancistomus . [6]
There are currently 21 recognized species in this genus:
Peckoltia inhabit freshwater habitats in the Amazon basin, upper Orinoco, upper Essequibo River, and also possibly the Maroni River, as well as coastal drainages north of the Amazon to French Guiana. [2] [4] Three species, P. braueri, P. cavatica and P. sabaji are found in the Guiana Shield. [3]
Peckoltia live in shallow, rocky riffles and in quieter water where they hide inside cavities in submerged logs. [4]
Peckoltia are members of the family Loricariidae, the armored suckermouth catfishes. As such, they have armor plating on their body instead of scales. Also, they have a suckermouth which they use to cling to rocks in their habitat. They have the characteristic Loricariid omega iris as well. Like many other catfish, Peckoltia have strong pectoral and dorsal fin spines that can be locked outwards as a defense.
Peckoltia have unmodified teeth and the teeth on their upper jaw form an angle under 90 degrees. [4] Most male Peckoltia have hypertrophied odontodes on their body during the breeding season. [3]
The biggest difference between all the Peckoltia species is coloration. [2] They usually have a saddle-shaped marking on their back. [4] However, P. caenosa are mottled. [2]
Four species, P. braueri, P. caenosa, P. cavatica and P. vittata, lack spots on their head while the rest have them. P. braueri and P. cavatica have orange bands in the dorsal and caudal fins and have the bones and plates of the head and nape outlined in black; in P. caenosa and P. vittata, there are no orange bands and head plates and bones are not outlined. P. caenosa has dark vermiculations on the head and abdomen. P. vittata has saddles or blotches on the head and faint dark spots on the abdomen. [2] P. lineola and P. vermiculata have spots on their head that combine to form vermiculations. In P. lineola the spots form vermiculations that are wider than its pupils, while in P. vermiculata the spots form vermiculations narrower than its pupils; also, the vermiculations radiate from a central point on the head in P. vermiculata, while there is no such pattern in P. lineola. [2]
True Peckoltia species are fairly rarely exported for the pet trade; species called Peckoltia may actually be Panaque or Hypancistrus species. [2] Peckoltia species are popular aquarium fish as they are small and attractive. They are shy and will spend much of the day hiding. [9]
In 2013, aquarists reported breeding P. braueri in captivity for the first time. [10]
Loricariidae is the largest family of catfish, 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 noted for the bony plates covering their bodies and their suckermouths. Several genera are sold as "plecos", notably the suckermouth catfish, Hypostomus plecostomus, and are popular as aquarium fish.
Hypostomus is a genus of catfish in the family Loricariidae. They are native to tropical and subtropical South America. H. plecostomus is the popular freshwater aquarium fish formerly known as Plecostomus plecostomus. The taxonomic structure of the Loricariidae is still being expanded by scientists. Hypostomus is a highly species-rich and widely distributed catfish genus.
Pseudancistrus is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes native to South America.
Hypancistrus is a genus of loricariid catfish originating from the Amazon basin in South America. Unlike many of the other Loricariids, however, some Hypancistrus species are more carnivorous and enjoy meat in their diet. Hypancistrus species are popular aquarium fish, including such popular fish as the zebra pleco and Queen Arabesque pleco.
Hemiancistrus is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes. These species are native to South America. The taxonomy of this genus is complex and unclear, and major work has to be done. Many of these fish are popular aquarium fish.
Corymbophanes is a genus of armored catfish native to South America where they are only known from Guyana. Corymbophanes was originally placed in its own tribe Corymbophanini, but the first comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analysis of the subfamily Hypostominae found Corymbophanes to be nested within the tribe Ancistrini.
The Hypostominae are a subfamily of catfishes of the family Loricariidae. Most members are restricted to tropical and subtropical South America, but there are also several species in southern Central America. Hypostomus plecostomus, which is popular in the aquarium trade, has been introduced to several regions far from its native range.
Ancistrini is a tribe of catfishes of the family Loricariidae. Most are restricted to tropical and subtropical South America, but there are also several genus in southern Central America.
Pterygoplichthyini is a tribe of catfishes of the family Loricariidae. It includes two genera, Pterygoplichthys and the currently undescribed genus referred to as the Hemiancistrus annectens group, This group was earlier misspelled as Pterygoplichthini. Pterygoplichthyines are known from nearly the entire range of loricariids except for the Guyanas and coastal streams in southeastern Brazil. although later work by the same authority, and his co-authors, placed this group among the genus Hypostomus.
Guyanancistrus is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes.
Peckoltia relictum is a species of armored catfish where it is found in the upper Marañon River in northern Peru.
Panaqolus is a genus of small catfish in the family Loricariidae native to rivers in tropical South America. Its members were formerly thought to belong to a clade of small-sized species in the genus Panaque, until this genus was separated from Panaque in 2001. At times it has been considered a subgenus of Panaque, and the validity of the genus has been disputed by various authors and sources. Pseudoqolus koko was formerly considered to be a member of this genus, although it was reclassified as a member of the currently monotypic genus Pseudoqolus by Nathan K. Lujan, Christian A. Cramer, Raphael Covain, Sonia Fisch-Muller, and Hernán López-Fernández following a 2017 molecular phylogenetic analysis.
Peckoltia sabaji is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the basins of the Rupununi, the Essequibo River, and the Takutu River in Guyana, as well as the basins of the Casiquiare canal, the Rio Negro, the Cinaruco River, and the Orinoco in Venezuela. It is usually found among boulders in medium to large rivers. The species reaches 19.8 cm SL and is of disputed classification.
Peckoltia pankimpuju is a species of armored catfish from the family Loricariidae, native to the Marañón River in the upper Amazon basin of Peru. It is commonly called the coal pleco, Peruvian lyre-tail, and L350 under the L-number code. It reaches up to about 40 cm (16 in) in length.
Chaetostoma platyrhynchus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Caquetá River basin in Colombia. The species reaches 9.5 cm in total length. The species is known to be of disputed classification and spelling.
Hemiancistrus guahiborum is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Orinoco drainage in Venezuela. The species reaches at least 12.55 cm SL and was described in 2005 by David C. Werneke and Jonathan W. Armbruster of Auburn University, Nathan K. Lujan of the American Museum of Natural History, and Donald C. Taphorn of the Royal Ontario Museum on the basis of its distinctive coloration and morphology. It appears in the aquarium trade, where it is usually known either as the orange-seam pleco or by its L-number, which is L-106.
Pseudoqolus koko is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae and the only species in the genus Pseudoqolus. It is a freshwater fish native to South America, where it occurs in the Maroni basin. It is usually found on or near stony substrates in the main river channel at a depth of around 2 m. The species has been collected alongside multiple other loricariid species, including Hemiancistrus medians, Peckoltia otali, Pseudancistrus barbatus, Harttia guianensis, Loricaria cataphracta, and Rineloricaria stewarti. It is noted that the gut contents of one specimen of this species contained primarily spicules and sponge fragments, indicating that it may feed on freshwater sponges. The species reaches 9 cm SL.
Peckoltia cavatica is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Rupununi basin in Guyana. It is found in areas with large amounts of lateritic rock, and it is usually seen in holes and caves within the rock, which are also where it is thought to breed. P. cavatica's preference for such environments was notable enough to the authors of its 2005 description, Jonathan W. Armbruster and David C. Werneke, that the specific epithet bestowed upon it means "living in caves" in Latin. The species reaches 7.2 cm SL.
Peckoltia lujani is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America, where it occurs in the Orinoco and Meta River basins in Venezuela and Colombia. The species reaches 7.5 cm SL.
'Pseudancistrus' megacephalus is a species of catfish in the family Loricariidae. It is of uncertain and disputed classification.