''Exastilithoxus'' is a small

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 suckermouth armored catfish native 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 ...

Species

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

Exastilithoxus fimbriatus ''Exastilithoxus fimbriatus'' is a species of armored catfish endemic to Venezuela where it is found in the Caroni and Matacuni River Matacuni River is a river of Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezue ...

'' (

Steindachner Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner describ ...

, 1915) * ''

Exastilithoxus hoedemani ''Exastilithoxus hoedemani'' is a species of armored catfish Armoured catfish may refer to: *Family Loricariidae: The armoured suckermouth catfish, also known as suckermouth catfish, armoured catfish or simply 'plecs' or 'plecos' *Family Callich ...

'' Isbrücker &

Nijssen Nijssen is a Dutch patronymic surname originating from the given name "Denijs" (DenisPeople with this surname include: ; ;Nijssen * Han Nijssen (1935–2013), Dutch ichthyologist * Sjir Nijssen (born 1938), Dutch computer scientist known for Nij ...

, 1985

Appearance and anatomy

''Exastilithoxus'' species are small, cylindrical loricariids. These species exhibit a round lower lip with fleshy barbels. Color pattern is generally mottled and dark brown with paler areas under and just posterior to the dorsal fin. The abdomen is white, fins are mottled, and the ventral surface of the caudal peduncle is colored as the sides, but slightly lighter. Like other loricariids, the body is armored, however the abdomen is naked.

Ecology

''Exastilithoxus'' species are unique among loricariids in that they subsist entirely on

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

References

Ancistrini Fish of South America Catfish genera Taxa named by Isaäc J. H. Isbrücker Taxa named by Han Nijssen Freshwater fish genera {{Loricariidae-stub