Neblinichthys is a small 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...

 (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...

. It includes two species, N. pilosus and N. yaravi.

Taxonomy

Neblinichthys was described by Ferraris, Isbrücker, and Nijssen

Han Nijssen

Han Nijssen is a Dutch ichthyologist. He is curator at Zoölogisch Museum in Amsterdam.Nijssen has worked extensively with fish from South America, and is the author of several species, e.g. Corydoras weitzmani and Corydoras xinguensis....

 in 1986. Neblinichthys is derived from the Latin nebula which means mist or vapor, and ichthys for fish.

It was found that Franz Steindachner

Franz Steindachner

Franz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist.- Work and career :Being interested in natural history, Steindachner took up the study of fossil fishes on the recommendation of his friend Eduard Suess...

's original description of Peckoltia yaravi matches that of Neblinichthys. This makes Neblinichthys yaravi the senior 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 Neblinichthys roraima Provenzano et al. 1995.

Appearance and anatomy

Neblinichthys species are unique in that the breeding males have a snout brush formed by elongate, bristle-like odontodes pointing forwards on the snout. More fairly elongated odontodes are found on the top of the head and on the body. Otherwise they appear rather similar to Lasiancistrus

Lasiancistrus

Lasiancistrus is a genus of catfishes of the family Loricariidae. It includes six species, L. caucanus, L. guacharote, L. heteracanthus, L. saetiger, L. schomburgkii, and L. tentaculatus.-Taxonomy:...

species. Females and juveniles may be differentiated from Lasiancistrus species by the lack of cheek whiskers. Neblinichthys species also have their pectoral fin and pelvic fin spines the same length.

N. pilosus reaches a length of about 9 centimetre

Centimetre

A centimetre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one hundredth of a metre, which is the SI base unit of length. Centi is the SI prefix for a factor of . Hence a centimetre can be written as or — meaning or respectively...

s (3.5 in

Inch

An inch is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units. There are 36 inches in a yard and 12 inches in a foot...

) SL

Fish measurement

Fish measurement refers to the measuring of the length of individual fish and of various parts of their anatomy. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology.-Overall length:...

. N. yaravi reaches a length of about 5 cm (2 in) SL.

Distribution and habitat

N. pilosus is distributed in the upper Negro, Casiquiare, and Baria River basins. N. yaravi is found in the Kukenan River basin in upper Caroní River

Caroní River

The Caroni River is the second most important river of Venezuela, the second in flow, and one of the longest, 952 km from the Tepui Kuquenan, where she originates with the same name Kuquenan, up to its confluence with the River Orinoco to which basin she belongs...

 drainage. Both species are from Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

. Neblinichthys are found in small creeks to medium-sized rivers at the base of tipuis. N. yaravi is found in creeks with a substratum of rocks, small stones, and fine sand, without aquatic vegetation.