Pseudopimelodidae | |
---|---|
Lophiosilurus alexandri | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Siluriformes |
Superfamily: | Pimelodoidea |
Family: | Pseudopimelodidae Lundberg, Bornbusch & Mago-Leccia, 1991 |
Genera | |
Batrochoglanis |
Pseudopimelodidae is a small family of catfishes. Some of these fish are popular aquarium fish.[1]
Contents |
This family was formerly a subfamily of Pimelodidae.[1] Pseudopimelodidae is a monophyletic group.[2] Previously, the superfamily Pseudopimelodoidea is sister to superfamilies Sisoroidea + Loricarioidea.[1] However, some evidence has shown that this family, along with Pimelodidae, Heptapteridae, and Conorhynchos, may form a monophyletic assemblage, which contradicts the hypothesis that the former family Pimelodidae that included these families is a polyphyletic group.[3]
Pseudopimelodidae is restricted to freshwater in South America.[1] These catfish are found from the Atrato River in Colombia to Argentina in the Río de la Plata.[2]
These catfishes have wide mouths, small eyes, and short barbels.[4] Their bold markings lead them to be commonly known as bumblebee catfishes or dwarf marbled catfishes.[1] B. acanthochiroides grows to 80.0 centimetres (31 in) TL.[5] However, most species are smaller; species of the genus Microglanis rarely exceed 70 millimetres (2.8 in) SL and are never over 80 mm (3.1 in) SL.[4]