Brochis
Brochis is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Callichthyidae, the armoured catfishes, and the subfamily Corydoradinae, the corys. Before the recent resurrection of the genus, these species were grouped in the genus Corydoras. The catfishes in this genus are found in South America.
Taxonomy
Brochis was erected by Edward Drinker Cope on 1871. Before 2024, it was in a limbo and considered defunct by most scientific authorities, being considered as a junior synonym or subgenus of Corydoras. It was formally resurrected and revalidated in a phylogenomic analysis carried out in 2024. B. difluviatilis is recognized as the basalmost species of Corydoradini, exhibiting several plesiomorphic features compared to the other species of Corydoras.
Etymology
The generic name, Brochis, is derived from the Greek βρόχος meaning "loop", referring to the diagnostic arrangement of the barbels around the mouth.
Morphology
Despite being considered defunct, there are several morphological features that validate the usage of Brochis as a genus. These include a noticeably larger body, a more lyre-like tail, and, most decisively, the extended dorsal fins that have more rays than those of Corydoras. Corydoras have 7-10 rays on their dorsal fins, while Brochis have 10–18. Brochis are very large for their family, as several species can breach in length. Brochis splendens is the largest, attaining a maximum size of and.
Species
, there are 43 extant species in this genus :Brochis agassizii Brochis amandajanea Brochis ambiacus Brochis approuaguensis Brochis arcuata Brochis bethanae Brochis bifasciata Brochis britskii Brochis brittoi Brochis condiscipulus Brochis costai Brochis crimmeni Brochis cryptica Brochis delphax Brochis deweyeri Brochis difluviatilis Brochis ephippifera Brochis garbei Brochis geryi Brochis gomezi Brochis haraldschultzi Brochis heteromorpha Brochis imitator Brochis incolicana Brochis isbrueckeri Brochis lamberti Brochis leopardus Brochis multiradiata Brochis noelkempffi Brochis ornata Brochis orphnopterus Brochis pantanalensis Brochis pinheiroi Brochis pulchra Brochis reticulata Brochis robineae Brochis robusta Brochis seussi Brochis sodalis Brochis spectabilis Brochis splendens Brochis sychri