''Batrochoglanis'' is a small genus of catfishes (

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Siluriformes) of the family

Pseudopimelodidae The Pseudopimelodidae are a small family (about 40 species) of catfishes known as the bumblebee catfishes or dwarf marbled catfishes. Some of these fish are popular aquarium fish. Taxonomy This family was formerly a subfamily of Pimelodidae. Pse ...

Species

There are currently five recognized species in this genus: * '' Batrochoglanis acanthochiroides'' (Güntert, 1942) * ''

Batrochoglanis melanurus ''Batrochoglanis'' is a small genus of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Pseudopimelodidae. Species There are currently five recognized species in this genus: * '' Batrochoglanis acanthochiroides'' (Güntert, 1942) * '' Batrochoglanis ...

'' Shibatta & Pavanelli, 2005 * ''

Batrochoglanis raninus ''Batrochoglanis'' is a small genus of catfishes (order (biology), order Siluriformes) of the family (biology), family Pseudopimelodidae. Species There are currently five recognized species in this genus: * ''Batrochoglanis acanthochiroides'' (G ...

'' ( Valenciennes, 1840) * '' Batrochoglanis transmontanus'' ( Regan, 1913) * '' Batrochoglanis villosus'' ( Eigenmann, 1912)

Distribution

''Batrochoglanis'' species are known and distributed throughout the Amazon basin, rivers of the Ecuadorian and

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

n Pacific coast, the northern region of South America, and the Paraguay River basin. ''B. acanthochiroides'' is distributed in the Catatumbo River basin of the

Maracaibo ) , motto = "''Muy noble y leal''"(English: "Very noble and loyal") , anthem = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_alt = ...

basin. ''B. melanurus'' is only known from its

type locality Type locality may refer to: * Type locality (biology) * Type locality (geology) See also * Local (disambiguation) * Locality (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

in the Paraguay River basin of Brazil. ''B. raninus'' is found in the Amazon River basin,

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

, and French Guiana. ''B. transmontanus'' originates from Baudó,

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

, Patía and

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...

river basins. ''B. villosus'' is found in the

Demerara River The Demerara River is a river in eastern Guyana that rises in the central rainforests of the country and flows to the north for 346 kilometres until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. Georgetown, Guyana's largest seaport and capital, is situated o ...

of the

Essequibo Essequibo is the largest traditional region of Guyana but not an administrative region of Guyana today. It may also refer to: * Essequibo River, the largest river in Guyana * Essequibo (colony), a former Dutch colony in what is now Guyana; * Esseq ...

basin,

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 wor ...

, and Amazon River basins.

Description

Species of this genus have rounded, wider than deep bodies; large heads, rounded in dorsal view;

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two en ...

s originating at vertical line through the end of the dorsal fin; short caudal peduncles, with caudal fin procurrent rays close to adipose and

anal 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 se ...

s; emarginated caudal fins, with rounded lobes, or completely rounded; incomplete lateral lines, sometimes surpassing the adipose-fin end, but never reaching the caudal fin. Three color patterns of the caudal fin in ''Batrochoglanis'' species are known. The first pattern, in ''B. raninus'', ''B. transmontanus'' and ''B. acanthochiroides'', is a light caudal fin, with a dark band on the posterior third. The second pattern, in ''B. villosus'', is a light caudal fin, with dark dots irregularly distributed. The third pattern, found in ''B. melanurus'', has the caudal fin completely dark. The coloration pattern is useful for separating species, but apparently does not allow inferences about phylogenetic relationships to be safely made, since this character is widespread in this family. ''B. acanthochiroides'', the largest species, grows to 80.0 centimetres (31 in) TL. ''B. melanurus'' has a maximum length of 13.7 cm (5.39 in) SL. ''B. raninus'' reaches a length of 20.0 (7.87 in) SL. ''B. transmontanus'' grows to a length of 25.0 cm (9.84 in) TL. ''B. villosus'' reaches a length of 14.8 cm (5.83 in) TL.

Ecology

''B. transmontanus'' is recorded to live in rivers. ''B. raninus'' commonly occurs in creeks as well as in rivers. It is found in very shady, deep zones of rivers where the current is slow, the bottom is shady, and the gravel is covered with plant debris. During the day, ''B. raninus'' lies hidden under branches or rocks. It hunts by stalking, swallowing prey within its range. When young, ''B. raninus'' feeds on micro- crustaceans and aquatic insect larvae, then shifts its diet to fishes of notable size.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4869611 Pseudopimelodidae Fish of South America Fish of the Amazon basin Catfish genera Taxa named by Theodore Gill Freshwater fish genera