Parancistrus

Taxobox
name = "Parancistrus"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Siluriformes
familia = Loricariidae
subfamilia = Hypostominae
tribus = Ancistrini
genus = "Parancistrus"
genus_authority = Bleeker, 1862
type_species = "Hypostomus aurantiacus"
type_species_authority = Castelnau, 1855
subdivision_ranks = Binomial name
subdivision =
"Parancistrus aurantiacus"
Castelnau, 1855
"Parancistrus nudiventris"
Rapp Py-Daniel and Zuanon, 2005


synonyms = "Acanthodemus" Marschall, 1873

"Parancistrus" is a small genus of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Loricariidae. It includes two species, "P. aurantiacus" and "P. nudiventris". [cite journal|url=http://silurus.acnatsci.org/ACSI/library/biblios/2007_Ferraris_Catfish_Checklist.pdf|title=Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types|first=Carl J., Jr.|last=Ferraris|journal=Zootaxa|volume=1418|pages=1–628|year=2007|format=PDF]

Taxonomy

The three species "Hypostomus aurantiacus", "H. nigricans", and "H. vicinus" were described by François Louis de la Porte, comte de Castelnau in 1855.cite web|url=http://www.auburn.edu/academic/science_math/res_area/loricariid/fish_key/Paran/Paran.html|title=Parancistrus|first=Jonathan W.|last=Armbruster|accessdate=2007-06-01] "Parancistrus" was described by Pieter Bleeker in 1862 and "P. aurantiacus" designated as type.FishBase genus|genus=Parancistrus|year=2007|month=June] Later, "P. nigricans" and "P. vicinus" were deemed to be synonyms of "P. aurantiacus", making "P. aurantiacus" the only species of "Parancistrus" until "P. nudiventris" was described in 2005.

Distribution

"P. aurantiacus" is found in the Ucayali, Tocantins and Xingu Rivers.FishBase species|genus=Parancistrus|species=aurantiacus|year=2007|month=June] "P. nudiventris" is found in the Xingu River in Brazil.FishBase species|genus=Parancistrus|species=nudiventris|year=2007|month=June]

Appearance and anatomy

"Parancistrus" is unique among loricariids due to the presence of fleshy folds on the naked area around the dorsal fin and at the pectoral fin points insertion in the breeding males. Breeding males also have elongated odontodes on their bodies and pectoral fin spines.

"Parancistrus" have stout bodies that are completely plated in adults. The dorsal fin membrane connects to the adipose fin spine. Their color is typically slate gray to black, occasionally with white streaks. They have large gill openings, which makes the genus different from all other loricariids except some "Pogonopoma" and "Rhinelepis".

"P. aurantiacus" reaches a length of about 19 centimetres (7.5 in) SL.

References