| Stegophilinae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ochmacanthus reinhardtii | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Trichomycteridae |
| Subfamily: | Stegophilinae Günther, 1864 [1] |
| Type genus | |
| Stegophilus [1] | |
| Genera [3] | |
see text | |
The Stegophilinae, the parasitic catfishes, is a subfamily of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Trichomycteridae, the pencil and parasitic catfishes. A monophyletic group within the Stegophilinae is supported by two characteristics of the lateral line, including Acanthopoma, Henonemus, Megalocentor, Pareiodon, Parastegophilus, and Pseudostegophilus. Acanthopoma and Henonemus have a sister group relationship. [4]
The Stegophilinae are widely distributed in the main South American river basins, including the Amazon, Orinoco, São Francisco, Paraná-Paraguay, and those of southern Brazil. [5] Eight of the genera are distributed in Venezuela. [4]
Stegophilines are sometimes considered candirú, so are considered parasites or semiparasites, because of their peculiar habit of feeding on scales, mucus, or skin of other fishes. [4]