| Parotocinclus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Loricariidae |
| Subfamily: | Hypoptopomatinae |
| Tribe: | Otothyrini |
| Genus: | Parotocinclus Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1889 |
| Type species | |
| Otocinclus maculicauda Steindachner, 1877 |
|
| Species | |
|
P. amazonensis |
|
Parotocinclus is a genus of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Loricariidae.
Contents |
By an analysis published in 2005, Parotocinclus is not a monophyletic genus. P. jumbo is not closely related to P. maculicauda, but is positioned, instead, as a basal lineage of the Hypoptopomatinae. Additionally, P. collinsae is not closely related to P. maculicauda, and may be more closely related to Hypoptopoma and four other genera. P. jumbo and P. collinsae may eventually be transferred to new genera.[1] P. bidentatus and P. muriaensis form a monophyletic pair of sister taxa that is more closely related to a subset of species of Parotocinclus (which includes P. maculicauda) than to any other genus of the subfamily Hypoptopomatinae.[1]
Parotocinclus species are distributed in the Atlantic coastal drainages of Guyana and Surinam, eastern and southeastern Brazil.[2] Seven species of Parotocinclus are known from Brazilian rivers south of the São Francisco River basin: P. maculicauda (southeastern coastal rivers from Espírito Santo to Santa Catarina States); P. bahiensis (Senhor do Bonfim, Bahia State); P. doceanus (Doce River, Espírito Santo State); P. minutus (Canudos, Bahia State); P. cristatus (Ilhéus, Bahia State); P. jimi (Itagibá, Bahia State); and P. planicauda (Suaçui Pequeno River, a tributary of the Doce River, flowing near the city of Coroaci, Minas Gerais State).[3]
Most species of Parotocinclus have the caudal peduncle oval in cross section; however, in P. planicauda and P. cristatus, it is quadrangular.[3]
It has been found that Characidium species may interact with Parotocinclus maculicauda. The small Characidium will follow grazing P. maculicauda, which release particulate matter dislodged from the catfish's foraging.[4]