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Pseudostegophilus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pseudostegophilus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Trichomycteridae
Subfamily: Stegophilinae
Genus: Pseudostegophilus
Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1889
Type species
Stegophilus nemurus
Günther, 1869

Pseudostegophilus is a genus of pencil catfishes native to rivers in tropical South America. The members of this genus are obligate parasites that feed on scales and mucus of other fish.

Species

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There are currently two recognized species in this genus:[1]

P. haemomyzon originates from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela while P. nemurus is found in the Amazon basin in Brazil and Peru.[2] P. haemomyzon grows to about 5.7 centimetres (2.2 in) SL.[3] P. nemurus grows to about 15.0 cm (5.9 in) TL.[4] P. nemurus is said to become attached to the gills, anal region, and fins of dead, dying, or disabled fishes.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Pseudostegophilus". FishBase. February 2012 version.
  2. ^ Ferraris, Carl J. Jr. (2007). "Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types" (PDF). Zootaxa. 1418: 1–628. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1418.1.1.
  3. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Pseudostegophilus haemomyzon". FishBase. July 2007 version.
  4. ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Pseudostegophilus nemurus". FishBase. July 2007 version.