Rineloricaria

Taxobox
name = "Rineloricaria"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Siluriformes
familia = Loricariidae
subfamilia = Loricariinae
tribus = Loricariini
genus = "Rineloricaria"
genus_authority = Bleeker 1862
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = "R. aequalicuspis"
"R. altipinnis"
"R. anhanguapitan"
"R. anitae"
"R. beni"
"R. cacerensis"
"R. cadeae"
"R. capitonia"
"R. caracasensis"
"R. castroi"
"R. catamarcensis"
"R. cubataonis"
"R. daraha"
"R. eigenmanni"
"R. fallax"
"R. felipponei"
"R. formosa"
"R. hasemani"
"R. henselii"
"R. heteroptera"
"R. hoehnei"
"R. jaraguensis"
"R. jubata"
"R. konopickyi"
"R. kronei"
"R. lanceolata"
"R. langei"cite journal|journal=Neotropical Ichthyology|volume=6|issue=3|pages=355-366|year=2008|title=Two new species of "Rineloricaria" (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the rio Iguaçu basin, southern Brazil|first=Leonardo F. S.|last=Ingenito|coauthors=Ghazzi, Miriam S.; Duboc, Luiz F.; Abilhoa, Vinícius]
"R. latirostris"
"R. lima"
"R. longicauda"
"R. maacki"
"R. magdalenae"
"R. maquinensis"
"R. melini"
"R. microlepidogaster"
"R. microlepidota"
"R. misionera"
"R. morrowi"
"R. nigricauda"
"R. osvaldoi"
"R. pareiacantha"
"R. parva"
"R. pentamaculata"
"R. phoxocephala"
"R. platyura"
"R. quadrensis"
"R. reisi"
"R. rupestris"
"R. sanga"
"R. setepovos"
"R. sneiderni"
"R. steindachneri"
"R. stellata"
"R. stewarti"
"R. strigilata"
"R. teffeana"
"R. thrissoceps"
"R. tropeira"
"R. uracantha"
"R. wolfei"
"R. zaina"
synonyms =
*"Hemiloricaria"
Bleeker 1862
*"Fonchiiichthys"
Isbrücker and Michels 2001
*"Leliella"
Isbrücker 2001

"Rineloricaria" (from the Greek, "rhinos" meaning "nose", and the Latin, "lorica" meaning "cuirass of leather") is a genus of freshwater tropical catfish (order Siluriformes) belonging to the Loricariidae family. They are commonly called whiptail catfish because of the long filament that grows out of the tip of the caudal fin that is characteristic to their genus. They are native to the rivers of Northern and Central South America but are imported to other countries as household aquarium pets.

Taxonomy

This genus was described by Pieter Bleeker in 1862, with "R. lima" as the type species.FishBase genus|genus=Rineloricaria|year=2007|month=May] This genus is by far one of the most speciose of the subfamily Loricariinae, containing about 30 species.cite journal|title=A new species of "Rineloricaria" (Siluriformes: Loricariidae: Loricariinae) from rio Daraá, rio Negro basin, Amazon, Brazil|first=Lúcia H. Rapp|last=Py-Daniel|coauthors=Fichberg, Ilana|journal=Neotropical Ichthyology|volume=6|issue=3|pages=339-346|year=2008] On the other hand, it is one of the least resolved genera.cite journal|url=http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2005f/zt00945.pdf|title=A new species of Rineloricaria (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the Paraná and Uruguay River basins, Misiones, Argentina|first=Mónica S.|last=Rodríguez|coauthors=Miquelarena, Amalia M.|journal=Zootaxa|volume=945|pages=1–15|year=2005|format=PDF] In 2008 nine new species were added to this genus. [cite journal|url=http://www.scielo.br/pdf/isz/v98n1/a14v98n1.pdf|title=Nine new species of the genus "Rineloricaria" (Siluriformes, Loricariidae) from Uruguay river, southern Brazil.|first=Miriam S.|last=Ghazzi|journal=Iheringia: Série Zoologia |volume=98|issue=1|pages=100-122|year=2008|format=PDF]

"Hemiloricaria", "Fonchiiichthys", and "Leliella" been variably considered synonyms of "Rineloricaria"; these genera were erected to account for differences in sexually dimorphic traits. However, the traits used to diagnose these genera have been thought to be insufficient.

Distribution and habitat

The genus is widely distributed on nearly the entire subcontinent, from Costa Rica to Argentina, on both slopes of the Andes.cite journal|url=http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2007f/zt01462p040.pdf|title=The genera of the Neotropical armored catfish subfamily Loricariinae (Siluriformes: Loricariidae): a practical key and synopsis|first=Raphael|last=Covain|coauthors=Fisch-Muller, Sonia|journal=Zootaxa|volume=1462|pages=1–40|year=2007|format=PDF] "Rineloricaria" species are found in a large variety of habitats, including large rivers, streams, and lagoons, associated with bottoms consisting of sand or rocks, sometimes found in marginal vegetation. They are also found to tolerate environments with a wide temperature gradient.cite journal|title="Rineloricaria osvaldoi" (Siluriformes: Loricariidae): a new species of armored catfish from rio Vermelho, Araguaia basin, Brazil|first=Ilana|last=Fichberg|coauthors=Chamon, Carine C.|journal=Neotropical Ichthyology|volume=6|issue=3|pages=347-354|year=2008] "Rineloricaria" have an adaptive capacity enabling many species to exploit the most varied habitats; some species, such as "R. strigilata", have been caught in highly polluted bodies of water and represent some of the main components of the ichthyological diversity in such habitats.

Appearance and anatomy

The average length of a "Rineloricaria catfish" is about 13 cm (5 in) long.fact|date=May 2007 The fish are long, slender, have no visible barbels, an erect dorsal fin, a very thin caudal peduncle, and a narrow face. Coloration of the fishes are usually light brown with darker blotches, and have a dark dorsal fin.fact|date=May 2007 They are also covered with bony plates and have a sucker disk mouth, as is common with most fish in the Loricariidae family.

Reproduction

Sexual dimorphism includes hypertrophied development of the odontodes along the sides of the head, on the pectoral spines and rays, and predorsal area of mature males. Several species also show hypertrophied development of the odontodes on the entire caudal peduncle. In males, the pectoral fin spine is often thick, short, and curved when compared to the female. "Rineloricaria" are cavity brooders. Numerous eggs (often more than 100) are laid attached to one another in single layer masses on the cavity floor, and are brooded by males. Rineloricaria exhibit high levels of karyotypic diversity with chromosome numbers ranging from 36 to 70.

ee also

*List of freshwater aquarium fish species

References