''Leporacanthicus'' 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 suckermouth armored catfishes 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 four recognized species in this genus: * ''

Leporacanthicus galaxias ''Leporacanthicus galaxias'' is a species of armored catfish native to Brazil and Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern ...

'' 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 ...

, 1989 * ''

Leporacanthicus heterodon ''Leporacanthicus heterodon'' is a species of armored catfish endemic to Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and ...

'' Isbrücker &

, 1989 * ''

Leporacanthicus joselimai ''Leporacanthicus joselimai'' is a species of armored catfish endemic to Brazil where it is found in the Tapajós River The Tapajós ( pt, Rio Tapajós ) is a river in Brazil. It runs through the Amazon Rainforest and is a major tributary of t ...

'' Isbrücker &

, 1989 * ''

Leporacanthicus triactis ''Leporacanthicus triactis'' is a species of Loricariidae, armored catfish native to Colombia and Venezuela, where it is found in the upper Orinoco River basin. This species grows to a length of fish measurement, SL. Ecology ''L. triactis'' has ...

'' Isbrücker,

& Nico, 1992

Distribution

The genus has been reported from the upper Orinoco, the eastern, north-flowing

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 ...

tributaries, and the Tocantins River.

Description

''Leporacanthicus'' species have large teeth in the upper jaw; usually there are only two teeth on each premaxilla, the inner teeth very long. Species of ''Leporacanthicus'' are medium-sized loricariids with a narrow, pointed head, round lower lip, and fleshy tentacles on the upper lip. The colour pattern is generally dark gray to black with white to golden spots or a light gray with medium-sized black spots. The abdomen is naked (scaleless and unplated). The

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as s ...

is straight and angled posteroventrally. ''L. galaxias'' are basic black with many white spots. ''L. triactis'' are brown, gray, or charcoal black, save for vivid orange or yellow blotches on the spines of the non-paired fins. It has been hypothesized that the enlarged teeth of the upper jaw are used to remove

snail A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class G ...

s from their shells. This has been observed in ''L. joselimai'', but specimens 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 ...

seem to have a lot of

caddis flies The caddisflies, or order Trichoptera, are a group of insects with aquatic larvae and terrestrial adults. There are approximately 14,500 described species, most of which can be divided into the suborders Integripalpia and Annulipalpia on the ba ...

as well as freshwater

sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate throug ...

s in the gut.

In the aquarium

''Leporacanthicus'' are called vampire plecostomus in the aquarium literature in reference to their large

teeth A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, te ...

that are characteristic of the genus. These species should be fed invertebrate matter such as mollusks or crustaceans; however, they will accept other foods as well. These fish are territorial species. ''L. galaxias'' originates from oxygen-rich environments and should be provided with such a habitat in the aquarium. This fish is not often seen during the day. Breeding has been accomplished for ''L. galaxias'' but not documented.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1759102 Ancistrini Fish of South America Fish of the Amazon basin Fish of Brazil Fish of Venezuela Catfish genera Taxa named by Isaäc J. H. Isbrücker Taxa named by Han Nijssen Freshwater fish genera