Pseudostegophilus
| Pseudostegophilus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Trichomycteridae |
| Subfamily: | Stegophilinae |
| Genus: | Pseudostegophilus C. H. Eigenmann & R. S. Eigenmann, 1889[1] |
| Type species | |
| Stegophilus nemurus | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Pseudostegophilus is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Trichomycteridae, the pencil and parasitic catfishes, and the subfamily Stegophilinae, the parasitic catfishes.[1] These catfishes are found in rivers in tropical South America. The members of this genus are obligate parasites that feed on scales and mucus of other fish.
Species
Pseudostegophilus contains the following valid species:[2]
- Pseudostegophilus haemomyzon (Myers, 1942)
- Pseudostegophilus maculatus (Steindachner, 1879)
- Pseudostegophilus nemurus (Günther, 1869)
- Pseudostegophilus paulensis A. Miranda Ribeiro, 1918
Distribution and biology
P. haemomyzon originates from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela while P. nemurus is found in the Amazon basin in Brazil and Peru.[3] P. haemomyzon grows to about 5.7 centimetres (2.2 in) SL.[4] P. nemurus grows to about 15.0 cm (5.9 in) TL.[5] P. nemurus is said to become attached to the gills, anal region, and fins of dead, dying, or disabled fishes.[5] P. maculatus originates from the lower Paraná and Uruguay River basins in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, while P. paulensis is from the upper Paraná River basin in Brazil.[3] The remaining Pseudostegophilus species grow to about 5.4–6.0 centimetres (2.1–2.4 inches) in length.[6][7] P. maculatus enters the gill chamber of the catfish Luciopimelodus pati and feeds on the gills.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Stegophilinae". Catalog of Fishes (genus). California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Pseudostegophilus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ a b Ferraris, Carl J. Jr. (2007). "Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types" (PDF). Zootaxa. 1418: 1–628. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1418.1.1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Pseudostegophilus haemomyzon". FishBase. July 2007 version.
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Pseudostegophilus nemurus". FishBase. July 2007 version.
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Parastegophilus maculatus". FishBase. July 2007 version.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Parastegophilus paulensis". FishBase. July 2007 version.