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Trichomycterus

{{Short description|Genus of fishes}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Trichomycterus ytororo.jpg

| image_upright = 1.2

| image_caption = Trichomycterus ytororo

| taxon = Trichomycterus

| authority = Valenciennes, 1832

| type_species = Trichomycterus nigricans

| type_species_authority = Valenciennes, 1832

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Trichomycterus is a genus of fish in the family Trichomycteridae, the largest genus of its family with over 170 species currently described. This genus is native to freshwater habitats in Central and South America.{{FishBase_genus | genus = Trichomycterus | month = June | year = 2017 }} These fish are generally small, usually about {{convert|5|to(-)|15|cm|in|abbr=on|0}} in standard length, although the largest, T. rivulatus, can reach more than twice this size. Species differ from one another primarily in body proportions, fin ray counts and colouration.Fernández, L. & Osinaga, K. (2006): [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10641-005-5065-4 A New Trichomycterus (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from Aguarague National Park of the Bolivian Preandean Region, with Comments on Relationships within of the Genus.] Environmental Biology of Fishes, 75 (4): 385–393. Despite their relatively small size, some, such as T. punctulatus, support fisheries and are important in the local cuisine.{{cite web |author1=Zocchi, D.M. |author2=Linares, C.W.D. | publisher = FondazionesLowFood | title = Monsefú Life | url = https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/monsefu-life/ | year = 2017}}

Taxonomy

This genus is defined by the lack of specializations found in other trichomycterids and is certainly polyphyletic.Alencar, A.R. & Costa, W.J.E.M. (2006): [http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2006f/zt01269p049.pdf Trichomycterus pauciradiatus, a new catfish species from the upper rio Paraná basin, southeastern Brazil (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae).] Zootaxa, 1269: 43–49.Wosiacki, W.B. (2005): [http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2005f/zt01040p064.pdf A new species of Trichomycterus (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from south Brazil and redescription of T. iheringi (Eigenmann).] Zootaxa, 1040: 49–64. Although known to contain many species, Trichomycterus is poorly known with many of the known species based on brief descriptions. Many species have been described recently and many more are waiting to be described.Lima, S.M.Q., Lazzarotto, H. & Costa, W.J.E.M. (2008): [http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ni/v6n3/a04v6n3.pdf A new species of Trichomycterus (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from lagoa Feia drainage, southeastern Brazil.] Neotropical Ichthyology, 6 (3): 315–322.

Some authors have tentatively defined putative monophyletic assemblages within the genus Trichomycterus based on the possession of unique morphological features. The Trichomycterus brasiliensis species-complex includes T. brasiliensis, T. iheringi, T. maracaya, T. mimonha, T. pirabitira, T. potschi, T. vermiculatus and several undescribed species apparently endemic to the main river basins draining the Brazilian Shield.Bockmann, F.A. & Sazima, I.

(2004): [http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ni/v2n2/v2n2a03.pdf Trichomycterus maracaya, a new catfish from the upper rio Paraná, southeastern Brazil (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae), with notes on the T. brasiliensis species-complex.] Neotropical Ichthyology, 2 (2): 61–74. However, an assemblage of species from south and southeastern Brazil is also supported that includes T. araxa,Costa, W.J.E.M., Mattos, J.L.O., Sampaio, W.M.S, Giongo, P., de Almeida, F.B. & Katz, A.M. (2022): [https://zse.pensoft.net/article/83109/ Phylogenetic relationships of a new catfish of the genus Trichomycterus (Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae) from the Brazilian Cerrado, and the role of Cenozoic events in the diversification of mountain catfishes.] Zoosystematics and Evolution, 98 (1): 151–164. T. castroi, T. davisi, T. guaraquessaba, T. immaculatus, T. itatiayae, T. mboycy, T. mirissumba, T. naipi, T. nigricans, T. papilliferus, T. plumbeus, T. stawiarski, T. taroba, T. triguttatus and T. zonatus, T. aguarague, T. alterus, T. belensis, T. boylei and T. ramosus also form a diagnosable species assemblage.

Distribution and habitat

Species of Trichomycterus inhabit a diversity of habitats throughout South and Central America from Costa Rica in the north to Patagonia in the south and from lowland Atlantic rainforest in the east to Andean highland streams in the west. They are, together with Astroblepus and Orestias, among the very few native fish genera at high altitude in the Andes{{cite book |author=Nelson, J.S. |author2=Grande, T.C. |author3=Wilson, M.V.H. | year = 2016 | title = Fishes of the World, Fifth Edition | publisher = John Wiley & Sons | page = 752 | isbn = 978-1-118-34233-6 }} and in some places, for example certain high-elevation localities in western Argentina, Trichomycterus are the only fishes.Fernández, L. & Vari, R.P. (2004): [http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1643/CI-04-094R1 New Species of Trichomycterus from Midelevation Localities of Northwestern Argentina (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae).] Copeia, 2004 (4): 876–882. About 60 nominal species are endemic to the river basins draining the Andes and hills of the Guianan Shield and about 30 species are endemic to river basins draining the Brazilian Shield.Alencar, A.R. & Costa, W.J.E.M.

(2004): [http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2004f/zt00744.pdf Description of two new species of the catfish genus Trichomycterus from southeastern Brazil (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae).] Zootaxa, 744: 1–8.

Despite the broad distribution of the genus, most species have limited distributions and usually are restricted to only one river.Lima, S.M.Q. & Costa, W.J.E.M. (2004): [http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2004f/zt00761.pdf Trichomycterus giganteus (Siluriformes: Loricarioidea: Trichomycteridae): a new catfish from the Rio Guandu basin, southeastern Brazil.] Zootaxa, 761: 1–6. Wide-ranging species are most likely complexes of species that are difficult to differentiate, such as the T. brasiliensis species-complex. Trichomycterus gorgona, from a small stream on Gorgona Island located west of the Pacific coast of Colombia, is the first known trichomycterid to be endemic to an offshore island.Fernández, L. & Schaefer, S.A. (2005): [http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1643/CI-04-177R1 New Trichomycterus (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from an Offshore Island of Colombia.] Copeia, 2005 (1): 68–76. Many species are troglobitic.

Species

There are currently 174 recognized species in this genus:

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[http://www.senckenberg.de/files/content/forschung/publikationen/vertebratezoology/vz62-3/02_vertebrate_zoology_62-3_barbosa_357-362.pdf A new species of the catfish genus Trichomycterus (Teleostei: Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from the rio Paraná basin, southeastern Brazil.] Vertebrate Zoology, 62 (3): 357–362.

[http://www.mapress.com/j/zt/article/view/zootaxa.4117.2.6 A new species of Trichomycterus (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from the upper río Magdalena basin, Colombia.] Zootaxa, 4117 (2): 226–240.

Trichomycteridae) from the Rio Paraíba do Sul basin, south-eastern Brazil. Zool Stud 59:53. doi:10.6620/ZS.2020.59-53

References

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Category:Catfish genera

Category:Fish of Central America

Category:Catfish of South America

Category:Freshwater fish genera

Category:Taxa named by Achille Valenciennes

Category:Trichomycteridae