''Aspredinichthys'' 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 n ...

of banjo catfishes found in fresh and brackish waters in

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

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 souther ...

from the

Orinoco The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wo ...

delta, through the

Guianas The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories: * French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France * ...

, to 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 ...

delta. Both species are found in lower portions of rivers and in coastal waters of northern

from

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

to northern

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

where they are

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

fish.

Description

''Aspredinichthys'' species are large aspredinids that grow up to about 22.0 centimetres (8.7 in) SL; they are distinguished from all other aspredinids by the characters including having 8 pectoral-fin rays and several pairs of accessory mental barbels present. The two species placed in this genus are very similar in appearance and are most readily separated by the pattern and number of accessory mental barbels.

Species

There are currently two described species in this genus: * ''

Aspredinichthys filamentosus ''Aspredinichthys filamentosus'', the sevenbarbed banjo, is a species of banjo catfish found in coastal brackish waters and coastal rivers in South America from Venezuela to Brazil including the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago Trinid ...

'' (

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...

, 1840) (Sevenbarbed banjo) * ''

Aspredinichthys tibicen ''Aspredinichthys tibicen'', the tenbarbed banjo, is a species of banjo catfish found in coastal brackish waters and coastal rivers in South America from Venezuela to Brazil including the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. This species practi ...

'' (

, 1840) (Tenbarbed banjo)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2163754 Aspredinidae Fish of South America Fauna of Brazil Fish of Venezuela Catfish genera Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker