Sturisomatichthys 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...

 (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 four species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

, S. caquetae, S. citurensis, S. leightoni, and S. tamanae.

Distribution and habitat

The genus Sturisomatichthys is distributed in the northwestern part of South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

, on the Pacific and Atlantic slopes 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...

. The species appear to occupy the same ecological niche as those in Sturisoma

Sturisoma

Sturisoma is a genus of catfishes of the family Loricariidae.-Distribution:The species of the genus Sturisoma are widely distributed on both slopes of the Andes, in Panama and Colombia, and in the Amazon, Orinoco, and Paraná River basins.-Description:Sexual dimorphism includes hypertrophied...

. S. caquetae originates from the Caquetá River basin. S. citurensis inhabits Tuira

Tuira River

The Tuira River is located in the Darién Province of eastern Panama. It flows into the Bay of San Miguel at the province capital of La Palma.It is the largest river in Panama, and one of its tributaries, the Chucunaque River, is the longeset river in Panama....

 and Bayano River

Bayano River

A river of Panama in the Panama Province. It was dammed in the 70s, creating Lago Bayano. This dam provides much of the electrical power for Panama City....

 basins, and is the only species from Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

. S. leightoni is from the Upper Magdalena

Magdalena River

The Magdalena River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as...

 and Cauca River

Cauca River

The Cauca River is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. Born in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River near Pinillos in Bolívar Department, and the combined river eventually flows out into the Caribbean Sea. It has a...

 basins. S. tamanae is found in the San Juan River

San Juan River (Colombia)

San Juan River is an important river of Colombia. It quoted source is in the Cordillera Occidental and has a length of 380 km...

 basin of Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

.

Description

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:...

 and reproductive biology of Sturisomatichthys similar to Sturisoma

Sturisoma

Sturisoma is a genus of catfishes of the family Loricariidae.-Distribution:The species of the genus Sturisoma are widely distributed on both slopes of the Andes, in Panama and Colombia, and in the Amazon, Orinoco, and Paraná River basins.-Description:Sexual dimorphism includes hypertrophied...

. Sturisomatichthys is distinguished from Sturisoma primarily by the absence of a rostrum

Rostrum (anatomy)

The term rostrum is used for a number of unrelated structures in different groups of animals:*In crustaceans, the rostrum is the forward extension of the carapace in front of the eyes....

. Only one species, S. citurensis, from Panama, seems to be significantly different from all congeneric species in having an abdominal plate cover consisting of small platelets without any particular organization. Other species may represent a species complex with a short snout as in the genus Farlowella

Farlowella

Farlowella is a genus of catfish of the family Loricariidae. These fish resemble twigs or sticks, hence the common names twig catfish or stick catfish. They may also sometimes be referred to as whiptail catfish...

with reference to the representatives of the F. curtirostra group. The weakness of this diagnostic feature could lead to the synonymy

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 Sturisomatichthys with Sturisoma. Sturisomatichthys species grow to about 18–25 centimetres (7.1–9.8 in) in length.