Loricaria
Loricaria is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Loricariidae, the mailed catfishes, and the subfamily Loricariinae, the armoured suckermouth catfishes. The catfishes in this genus are found in South America.
Taxonomy
Loricaria was the first genus of the family Loricariidae described. Thus, it is the nominal genus of the family Loricariidae. Phylogenetic relationships within Loricaria and among other members of Loricariini remain uncertain. Its external morphology shows few shared derived characters, making comparison with other genera difficult. Loricaria has been hypothesized to occupy a basal position among members of the subtribe Loricariina, with the other genera possessingderived characters. Based on the characteristics of its mouth, Loricaria appears to maintain a close relationship with representatives of the Pseudohemiodon group. Proloricaria has been considered a synonym of Loricaria.
Species
Loricaria contains the following valid, recognised species;Distribution and habitat
This genus is distributed east of the Andes in nearly the entire tropical and subtropical parts of South America. Species occur in a variety of habitats from the main flow of rivers on sandy and rocky bottoms to flooded areas and lakes over muddy and sandy bottoms.Description
Loricaria species are recognized by the presence of elongate, slender filaments on the lips and a low number of bicuspid premaxillary teeth that are about twice the length of the dentary teeth.Sexual dimorphism includes hypertrophied development of the pectoral fin spines, blunt odontodes on the pelvic and anal fin spines, and tooth crowns becoming shortened and rounded in mature males.
For the four species characterized, karyotypic diversity ranges from 2n = 62 to 2n = 68.