In fish, a suckermouth is a ventrally-oriented (inferior) mouth adapted for grazing on algae and small organisms that grow on submerged objects.
All
Loricariidae
The Loricariidae is the largest family of catfish (order Siluriformes), with 92 genera and just over 680 species. Loricariids originate from freshwater habitats of Costa Rica, Panama, and tropical and subtropical South America. These fish are n ...
possess a suckermouth as do the cypriniform
algae eaters of the genus ''
Gyrinocheilus'' and other genera. The 'False Siamensis' (Epalzeorhynchus sp. or Garra taeniata) also has this feature. Three genera in
Mochokidae, ''
Atopochilus
''Atopochilus'' is a genus of upside-down catfishes native to Africa.
Species
There are currently seven recognized species in this genus:
* ''Atopochilus chabanaudi'' Pellegrin, 1938
* '' Atopochilus christyi'' Boulenger, 1920
* '' Atopochi ...
'', ''
Chiloglanis'', and ''
Euchilichthys
''Euchilichthys'' is a genus of upside-down catfishes native to the Congo River Basin in Middle Africa.
Species
There are currently five recognized species in this genus:
* '' Euchilichthys astatodon'' ( Pellegrin, 1928)
* '' Euchilichthys boul ...
'', also possess an oral sucker, formed by the lips and part of the
barbels
In fish anatomy and turtle anatomy, a barbel is a slender, whiskerlike sensory organ near the mouth. Fish that have barbels include the catfish, the carp, the goatfish, the hagfish, the sturgeon, the zebrafish, the black dragonfish and s ...
.
The Loricariidae and members of the genus ''Gyrinocheilus'' are further adapted by having a special opening on the gill cover so that the fish can breathe without using its mouth.
Additionally many other fish of the order
Cypriniformes
Cypriniformes is an order of ray-finned fish, including the carps, minnows, loaches, and relatives. Cypriniformes is an Order within the Superorder Ostariophysi consisting of "Carp-like" Ostariophysins. This order contains 11-12 familie ...
have developed a sucking ability to a lesser or greater extent:
*The
Hillstream loach
The hillstream loaches or river loaches are a family, the Balitoridae, of small fish from South, Southeast and East Asia. The family includes about 202 species. They are sometimes sold as "lizardfish" or (in Germany) "flossensaugers". Many of t ...
es (family
Balitoridae
The hillstream loaches or river loaches are a family, the Balitoridae, of small fish from South, Southeast and East Asia. The family includes about 202 species. They are sometimes sold as "lizardfish" or (in Germany) "flossensaugers". Many of t ...
) have modified fins to attach themselves to a surface and a ventrally located mouth.
*The
sucker fish (family
Catostomidae) also have a modified mouth.
In general many
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 ...
dwelling or feeding fish will have a suckermouth feature. Many of these fishes originate from fast-moving waters, where the sucker allows the fish to 'stick' itself down without too much difficulty.
Whilst all these fish have a limited sucking ability – they are able to swallow their food – it is not necessarily correct to assume that they can attach themselves to a submerged object by suction; though their behaviour may give that impression, the orientation of their fins and a flow of water can give sufficient downward force to temporarily attach themselves to an object.
See also
*
Lamprey
Lampreys (sometimes inaccurately called lamprey eels) are an ancient extant lineage of jawless fish of the order Petromyzontiformes , placed in the superclass Cyclostomata. The adult lamprey may be characterized by a toothed, funnel-like s ...
– Uses teeth to attach itself to a host. The sucker-like mouth is generally termed as an "oral disk."
*
Remora – Sometimes known as 'suckerfish', remora use a modified dorsal fin to stick onto objects and other animals.
*
Leech
Leeches are segmented parasitic or predatory worms that comprise the subclass Hirudinea within the phylum Annelida. They are closely related to the oligochaetes, which include the earthworm, and like them have soft, muscular segmented b ...
– The anterior portion (not the mouth) of this animal is modified to attach itself to a host.
References
{{diversity of fish
Fish common names
Fish anatomy
Loricariidae