Ellopostoma

Ellopostoma megalomycter from the first description of Léon Vaillant.

Ellopostoma ( = " Störmaul " ) is a genus of Schmerlenartigen ( Cobitoidea ) and the only genus of the order monotypic family Ellopostomatidae. The fish live in rivers in the south of Thailand ( Tapi river system in the Surat Thani province and Mae Nam Phanang River system in the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat ) and Kalimantan ( Kapuas system).

Features

Ellopostoma species are 4.9 to 7 inches long. From other loach they differ mainly by their unusual under constant and hervorstülpbares mouth ( similar to the sturgeon ). The throat is very tight. They possess a pair of barbels (most other loaches at least three pairs ), eyes and nostrils are very large.

Way of life

Ellopostoma species are found in fast-flowing streams and well- flow-type sandy soils in the middle of larger rivers. Their habitat is any vegetation. They feed on bentischer ( bodenbewohender ) microfauna, small invertebrates, algae and detritus. After the aquarium observations, they are extremely slow.

System

Ellopostoma was attributed until recently the fins suckers ( Balitoridae ). Lately, they are due to molecular biological data as a sister group of the Bachschmerlen ( Nemacheilidae ) into its own family, asked the Ellopostomatidae.

The systematic position illustrated by the following cladogram (after Bohlen & Šlechtová, 2009 and Chen et al, 2009. )

? Redhorse ( Catostomidae )

? Redhorse ( Catostomidae )

Sucking loaches ( Gyrinocheilidae )

Loaches ( Botiidae )

Langflossenschmerlen ( Vaillantellidae )

Loach loach or sensu stricto ( Cobitidae )

Fins suckers ( Balitoridae )

" Störmäuler " ( Ellopostomatidae )

Bachschmerlen ( Nemacheilidae )

Carp fish ( Cyprinoidea )

Species

So far, two types have been described:

• Ellopostoma megalomycter ( Vaillant, 1902), Kalimantan
• Ellopostoma mystax Tan & Lim, 2002, Southern Thailand