Trichomycteridae
Trichomycterus areolatus
The catfishes ( Trichomycteridae (Size: thrix, trichos = hair, mykter, eros = nose) ) are a diverse family of catfish -like ( Siluriformes ). They occur in Costa Rica, Panama, and in the greater part of South America.
Features
Her body is slender, elongated and similar in shape to the numerous Schmerlenfische. It is achieved without scales and lengths of 1.5 to 30 cm. The skull is generally wedge-shaped and runs forward to a point. On the maxilla usually sit two pairs Bartel, the lower jaw is always without Bartel. An adipose fin is present only in the subfamily Copionodontinae. The swim bladder is located in a bone capsule. The pelvic fins are absent in three taxa: Eremophilus, Miuroglanis and Glanapteryginae.
One feature that distinguishes the Trichomycteridae from all other catfish -like and from all other teleosts, is the highly specialized gill cover. Through the spines of Operculare and Interoperculare it is possible to climb the Schmerlenwelsen and colonize extreme habitats or to adopt a parasitic lifestyle.
Way of life
Most catfishes very secretive, they have settled unusual and extreme habitats for fish. Many species of the subfamilies Glanapteryginae and Sarcoglanidinae live in the ground due to their living water, sediment or in the leaf litter. The subfamily Trichomycterinae comes from sea level up to 4500 meters altitude in the Andes before. You can also climb vertical waterfalls, by using their gill cover spines as retaining members. The genus Trichomycterus lives in rapids. Trichogenes longipinnis pelagic.
Catfishes feed on small aquatic insects or insect larvae, besides also algae ( Copionodon ) or fish eggs and fry are eaten ( Pseudostegophilus ). Some species are parasitic, swim into the gill cavity of larger fish and suck blood ( hematophagy ). Vandellia has thus become known to establish itself in the urethra of men. The animals have to be surgically removed.
System
Within the catfish -like include the Trichomycteridae to the subordination Loricarioidei, sister group, and thus the next of kin is Nematogenys inermis, the only type of Nematogenyidae. The Trichomycteridae include eight subfamilies with 41 genera and about 200 species.
Nematogenyidae
Copionodontinae
Trichogeninae
Trichomycterinae
Scleronema
Ituglanis
Tridentinae
Stegophilinae
Glanapteryginae
Sarcoglanidinae
- Subfamily Copionodontinae de Pinna, 1992. Well-developed adipose fin, the beginning of the dorsal fin in the front half of the body, maxilla articulates with the lower jaw. Copionodon de Pinna, 1992
- Glaphyropoma de Pinna, 1992
- Trichogenes Britski & Ortega, 1983
- Eremophilus Humboldt, 1805
- Hatcheria Eigenmann, 1909
- Rhizosomichthys Miles, 1943
- Scleronema Eigenmann, 1917
- Silvinichthys Arratia, 1998
- Trichomycterus Valenciennes, 1832
- Paracanthopoma Giltay, 1935
- Paravandellia Miranda Ribeiro, 1912
- Plectrochilus Miranda Ribeiro, 1912
- Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes Vandellia, 1846
- Acanthopoma Lütken, 1892
- Apomatoceros Eigenmann, 1922
- Haemomaster Myers, 1927
- Henonemus Eigenmann & Ward in Eigenmann, McAtee & Ward, 1907
- Homodiaetus Eigenmann & Ward in Eigenmann, McAtee & Ward, 1907
- Megalocentor de Pinna & Britski, 1991
- Ochmacanthus Eigenmann, 1912
- Parastegophilus Miranda Ribeiro, 1946
- Pareiodon Kner, 1855
- Pseudostegophilus Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1889
- Schultzichthys Dahl, 1960
- Stegophilus Reinhardt, 1859
- Miuroglanis Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1889
- Tridens Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1889
- Tridensimilis Schultz, 1944
- Tridentopsis Myers, 1925
- Glanapteryx Myers, 1927
- Listrura de Pinna, 1988
- Pygidianops Myers, 1944
- Typhlobelus Myers, 1944
- Ammoglanis Costa, 1994
- Malacoglanis Myers & Weitzman, 1966
- Sarcoglanis Myers & Weitzman, 1966
- Stauroglanis de Pinna, 1989
- Stenolicmus de Pinna & Starnes, 1990