For the plant genus, see Loricaria (plant).

Loricaria is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of catfish

Catfish

Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...

es (order

Order (biology)

In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...

 Siluriformes) of the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Loricariidae

Loricariidae

Loricariidae is the largest family of catfish , with almost 700 species and new species being described each year. Loricariids originate from fresh water habitats of Costa Rica, Panama, and tropical and subtropical South America. These fish are noted for the bony plates covering their bodies and...

.

Taxonomy

Loricaria was the first genus of the family Loricariidae described. Thus, it is the nominal genus of the family Loricariidae. Phylogenetic

Phylogenetics

In biology, phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relatedness among groups of organisms , which is discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices...

 relationships within Loricaria and among other members of Loricariini remain uncertain. Its external morphology shows few shared derived

Derived

In phylogenetics, a derived trait is a trait that is present in an organism, but was absent in the last common ancestor of the group being considered. This may also refer to structures that are not present in an organism, but were present in its ancestors, i.e. traits that have undergone secondary...

 characters, making comparison with other genera difficult. Loricaria has been hypothesized to occupy a basal

Basal (phylogenetics)

In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...

 position among members of the subtribe Loricariina, with the other genera possessing
derived characters. Based on the characteristics of its mouth, Loricaria appears to maintain a close relationship with representatives of the Pseudohemiodon

Pseudohemiodon

Pseudohemiodon is a genus of catfishes of the family Loricariidae. It includes seven species, P. amazonus, P. apithanos, P. devincenzii, P. laminus, P. laticeps, P. platycephalus and P. thorectes....

group. Proloricaria is considered a synonym

Synonym (taxonomy)

In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...

 of Loricaria.

Distribution and habitat

This genus is distributed east of the Andes

Andes

The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...

 on nearly the entire subcontinent. Species occur in a variety of habitats from the main flow of rivers on sandy and rocky bottoms to flooded areas and lakes over muddy and sandy bottoms.

Description

Loricaria species are recognized by the presence of elongate, slender filaments on the lips and a low number of bicuspid premaxilla

Premaxilla

The incisive bone is the portion of the maxilla adjacent to the incisors. It is a pair of small cranial bones at the very tip of the jaws of many animals, usually bearing teeth, but not always. They are connected to the maxilla and the nasals....

ry teeth

Tooth

Teeth are small, calcified, whitish structures found in the jaws of many vertebrates that are used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or for defensive purposes. The roots of teeth are embedded in the Mandible bone or the Maxillary bone and are...

 (usually three to four per side) that are about twice the length of the dentary teeth.

Sexual dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...

 includes hypertrophied development of the pectoral fin spines, blunt odontode

Odontode

Odontodes, or dermal teeth, are hard structures found on the external surfaces of animals or near internal openings. They comprise a soft pulp surrounded by dentine and covered by a mineralized substance such as enamel, a structure similar to that of teeth. They generally do not have the same...

s on the pelvic and anal fin spines, and tooth crowns becoming shortened and rounded in mature males.

For the four species characterized, karyotypic

Karyotype

A karyotype is the number and appearance of chromosomes in the nucleus of an eukaryotic cell. The term is also used for the complete set of chromosomes in a species, or an individual organism.p28...

diversity ranges from 2n = 62 to 2n = 68.

Ecology

The site of egg deposition varies; L. curvispina places its eggs over flat rocks in rapids. In some species, eggs are carried on the enlarged lower lip of the male. L. piracicabae has its egg adherent to its ventral surface. Males are abdomino-lip brooders.