''Loricariichthys'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

es (

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

Siluriformes) of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Loricariidae Loricariidae is the largest family (biology), family of catfish (order Siluriformes), with over 90 genus, genera and just over 680 species. Loricariids originate from freshwater habitats of Costa Rica, Panama, and tropical and subtropical South A ...

Taxonomy

This genus is part of the ''Loricariichthys'' group within the subfamily

Loricariinae Loricariinae is a subfamily of the family Loricariidae of catfish (order Siluriformes). This subfamily is divided into two tribes and about 30 genera. They are mainly native to freshwater habitats in South America, but there are also several spec ...

; this group also includes the genera '' Furcodontichthys'', '' Hemiodontichthys'', '' Limatulichthys'', and ''

Pseudoloricaria ''Pseudoloricaria laeviuscula'' is the only species of the monotypic genus ''Pseudoloricaria'', a genus of the family Loricariidae of catfish (order Siluriformes). The phylogenetic position of ''Pseudoloricaria'' is uncertain. This species is en ...

''. ''Loricariichthys'' seems to be intermediate between ''Limatulichthys'' and ''Pseudoloricaria'' on one hand, and ''Furcodontichthys'' and ''Hemiodontichthys'' on the other. Although this genus is well diagnosed, the species are very similar and difficult to identify.

Species

There are currently 18 recognized species in this genus: * '' Loricariichthys acutus'' (

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...

, 1840) * '' Loricariichthys anus'' (

, 1835) * '' Loricariichthys brunneus'' (

Hancock Hancock may refer to: Places Places in the United States * Hancock, Iowa * Hancock, Maine * Hancock, Maryland * Hancock, Massachusetts * Hancock, Michigan * Hancock, Minnesota * Hancock, Missouri * Hancock, New Hampshire ** Hancock (CDP), New H ...

, 1828) * '' Loricariichthys cashibo'' ( C. H. Eigenmann & W. R. Allen, 1942) * '' Loricariichthys castaneus'' ( Castelnau, 1855) * '' Loricariichthys chanjoo'' ( Fowler, 1940) * '' Loricariichthys derbyi'' Fowler, 1915 * '' Loricariichthys edentatus'' R. E. dos Reis & E. H. L. Pereira, 2000 * '' Loricariichthys hauxwelli'' Fowler, 1915 * '' Loricariichthys labialis'' (

Boulenger Boulenger is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Benjamin Boulenger (born 1990), French footballer * Edward George Boulenger (1888–1946), British zoologist, director of aquarium at London Zoo * George Albert Boulenger (1858– ...

, 1895) * '' Loricariichthys maculatus'' (

Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A *Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881–1925), Austrian entrepreneur *Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter *Alexandre Bloch (1857–1919), French painter *Alfred Bloch ( ...

, 1794) * '' Loricariichthys melanocheilus'' R. E. dos Reis & E. H. L. Pereira, 2000 * '' Loricariichthys microdon'' ( C. H. Eigenmann, 1909) * '' Loricariichthys nudirostris'' ( Kner, 1853) * '' Loricariichthys platymetopon'' Isbrücker & Nijssen, 1979 * '' Loricariichthys rostratus'' R. E. dos Reis & E. H. L. Pereira, 2000 * '' Loricariichthys stuebelii'' (

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 descri ...

, 1882) * '' Loricariichthys ucayalensis'' Regan, 1913

Distribution

''Loricariichthys'' is distributed in most major freshwater drainages east of the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

and north of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. ''Loricariichthys'' is widely distributed in the

Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributary, tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries ...

, the

Paraná Paraná, Paranã or Parana may refer to: Geology * Paraná Basin, a sedimentary basin in South America Places In Argentina *Paraná, Entre Ríos, a city * Paraná Department, a part of Entre Ríos Province In Brazil *Paraná (state), a state ...

system, and coastal rivers of the

Guiana The Guianas, also spelled Guyanas or Guayanas, are a geographical region in north-eastern South America. Strictly, the term refers to the three Guianas: Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, formerly British, Dutch, and French Guiana respectiv ...

and Brazilian Shields.

Description

An accessory

respiration organ The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies gre ...

, consisting of a double respiratory purse connected to the

distal Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position provi ...

end of the

esophagus The esophagus (American English), oesophagus (British English), or œsophagus (Œ, archaic spelling) (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, see spelling difference) all ; : ((o)e)(œ)sophagi or ((o)e)(œ)sophaguses), c ...

, is present in a number of species of ''Loricariichthys''. The lower lip of immature males and females has two thick, cushionlike structures, which are covered with small

papilla Papilla (Latin, 'nipple') or papillae may refer to: In animals * Papilla (fish anatomy), in the mouth of fish * Papilla (worms), small bumps on the surface of certain worms * Basilar papilla, a sensory organ of lizards, amphibians and fish * ...

e and have irregular fringes along the posterior edge. However, in

nuptial A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicities, races, religions, denominations, countries, social classes, and sexual orientations. Most weddin ...

males of ''Loricariichthys'', the cushionlike structures on the lower lip recede or even disappear, and the lip becomes wider and longer and becomes smooth or covered with minute papillae. Males use this enlarged lower lip to clasp and carry a cluster of developing

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

s. This method of carrying eggs is possibly a strategy to protect the eggs from

predation Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

, since these fishes commonly live in exposed sandy- or muddy-bottomed environments devoid of places to hide. A diploid number of 2n = 56 has been reported for two species characterized. A ZZ/ZW sex chromosome system was also reported for ''L. platymetopon''.

Ecology

These species occur in a large diversity of habitat over sandy and muddy bottoms. Like other members of the ''Loricariichthys'' group, ''Loricariichthys'' species are lip brooders. The male holds the clutch of eggs in a large membranous extension of the lower lip.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3766327 Loricariini Fish of South America Fish of the Amazon basin Catfish genera Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker Taxa described in 1862 Freshwater fish genera