Phreatobius

Undescribed Phreatobius Type

Phreatobius ( Gr. " phrear " = fountain or source "bios " = alive ) is a genus of fish from the order of catfish -like ( Siluriformes ), which are disjoint in northern and central South America occurs and lives in underground wells and springs.

Features

Phreatobius species are small, worm -shaped and showy red or purple colored fish that reach a maximum length of 3.8 to 5.5 cm. The animals were distinguished by a number of morphological characteristics of all other catfish -like. These include an upper continuous from above visible mouth with protruding lower jaw, numerous ( 42-50 ) dorsal and (22-26) ventral side fin rays in front of the rounded caudal fin, with which it is connected with the dorsal and anal fin and forms a continuous Flossensaum. In addition, three or less Pleuralrippen and a prolonged Parapophyse ( projection on the bottom of vortices ) on the eighth vertebra. An adipose fin is missing. All anal-fin rays are unbranched. The person sitting on top of the head eyes are small; their diameter is only 2-6 % of head length.

System

Phreatobius has a long history of different taxonomic assignments behind and was made in the past in seven different catfish families in the catfishes ( Trichomycteridae ), the gills blind catfish ( Clariidae ), the Walwelse ( Cetopsidae ), the eel and coral catfish ( Plotosidae ) the Olyridae, the catfish ( Pimelodidae ) and the Heptapteridae to which they belong as a sister genus of Gladioglanis in most modern classifications. DNA comparisons show, however, that is a very long time Phreatobius independently developed and is the sister species of a clade from the whiskered catfish and bigmouth - whiskered catfish.

The cladogram shows the family relationships within the Pimelodoidea:

Conorhynchos

Heptapteridae

Phreatobius

Catfish ( Pimelodidae )

Loudmouth - whiskered catfish ( Pseudopimelodidae )

The following three modes are assigned to the genus:

• Phreatobius cisternarum Goeldi, 1905 ( type species ), from underground streams on the island of Marajó the mouth of the Amazon.
• Phreatobius dracunculus Shibatta, Muriel - Cunha & de Pinna, 2007 of an artificial fountain in Rio Pardo in southern Brazil.
• Phreatobius sanguijuela Fernández, Saucedo, Carvajal - Vallejos & Schaefer, 2007, of an artificial fountain near the Rio Paragua, a tributary of the Río Iténez in Bolivia.