Cladus: Eukaryota References * Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2006. FishBase, version (02/2006). [1] Astroblepus is a genus of catfish (order Siluriformes) which contains 54 species. It is the sole genus in the family Astroblepidae, the most species-rich family in which there is a single genus.[2] These fish are known as the naked sucker-mouth catfishes or the climbing catfishes.[2]
These catfishes are found in torrential streams in the Andean area of South America and Panama.[2] Description Astroblepus catfishes are typically small, less than 15 centimetres (6 in).[3] The largest species reaches 30 cm (12 in).[2] These fish have a suckermouth like those of Loricariids. They have two pairs of barbels, maxillary and nasal. The dorsal fin spine lacks a locking mechanism.[2] These fish also have odontodes, tiny teeth on their skin. All species exhibit a conical, pointy type on their fin rays like that found in other Loricarioids; three species also exhibit a blunt type that is only found on their skin.[3] Ecology Some of these fish are able to live at up to 3500 m altitude and climb the faces of waterfalls.[2] Their climbing ability comes from specially developed pelvic fins as well as their suckermouth.[3] In their neotropical Andean habitat, dry and wet seasons are quite extreme, and odontodes may help in sensing food, mates, and water flow, as well as help cling to surfaces.[3] They feed upon invertebrates such as caterpillars, and annelids.[3] References 1. ^ "Astroblepus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=164384. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
Source: Wikipedia, Wikispecies: All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License |
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