Loach catfish

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Loach catfish
Trichomycterus areolatus

Trichomycterus areolatus

Systematics
Overcohort : Clupeocephala
Cohort : Otomorpha
Sub-cohort : Ostariophysi
Order : Catfish (Siluriformes)
Subordination : Loricarioidei
Family : Loach catfish
Scientific name
Trichomycteridae
Bleeker , 1858

The loach catfish (Trichomycteridae ( size : thrix , trichos = hair, mykter , - eros = nose)) are a species-rich family of the catfish-like (Siluriformes). They are found in Costa Rica , Panama, and most of South America.

features

Their body is slender, elongated and resembles that of numerous loachfish in shape . It is scaly and reaches lengths of 1.5 to 30 cm. The skull is generally wedge-shaped and tapering forward. There are usually two pairs of barbels on the maxillary , the lower jaw is always without barbels. An adipose fin is only present in the subfamily Copionodontinae . The swim bladder lies in a bone capsule. The pelvic fins are missing in three taxa : Eremophilus , Miuroglanis and the Glanapteryginae.

A feature that distinguishes the Trichomycteridae from all other catfish species and from all other bony fish is the highly specialized gill cover . The thorns of the operculare and interoperculare make it possible for the loach catfish to climb and colonize extreme habitats or adopt a parasitic way of life.

Way of life

Most loach catfish live very hidden, they have colonized unusual and extreme habitats even for fish. Many species from the subfamilies Glanapteryginae and Sarcoglanidinae live in the soil of their living waters, in sediment or in leaf litter. The subfamily Trichomycterinae occurs from sea level to 4500 meters in the Andes . They can also climb up vertical waterfalls by using their gill cover spikes as holding organs. The genus Trichomycterus lives in rapids. Trichogenes longipinnis is pelagic .

Loach catfish feed on small aquatic insects or insect larvae, and algae ( Copionodon ) or fish eggs and fry ( Pseudostegophilus ) are also eaten. Some species live parasitically , swim into the gill cavity of larger fish and suck blood ( hematophagy ). Vandellia is known for getting stuck in the urethra of people. The animals then have to be surgically removed.

Systematics

Within the catfish family, the Trichomycteridae belong to the suborder Loricarioidei , sister group and thus the closest relative is Nematogenys inermis , the only species of the Nematogenyidae. The Trichomycteridae include eight subfamilies with 42 genera and over 200 species.

Relationships within the Trichomycteridae according to Adriaens et al. 2010.

  Loricarioidei  

 Nematogenyidae


  Trichomycteridae  

 Copionodontinae


   

 Trichogeninae


   

 Trichomycterinae


   

 Scleronema


   

 Ituglanis


   


 Tridentinae


   

 Stegophilinae


   

 Vandelliinae




   

 Glanapteryginae


   

 Sarcoglanidinae







Template: Klade / Maintenance / 3


Template: Klade / Maintenance / Style

literature

Individual evidence

  1. Costa, WJEM, Henschel, E. & Katz, AM: Multigene phylogeny reveals convergent evolution in small interstitial catfishes from the Amazon and Atlantic forests (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) . Zoologica Scripta, 2019: 00: 1-15.

Web links

Commons : Loach Catfish  - Collection of images, videos and audio files