Biology:Ochmacanthus
Ochmacanthus is a genus of pencil catfishes native to South America.[1] These species are distributed in South America. O. alternus and O. orinoco originate from the Rio Negro and Orinoco River basins of Brazil and Venezuela. O. batrachstoma inhabits the Paraguay River basin in Brazil. O. flabelliferus lives in river drainages in Guyana and Venezuela. O. reinhardtii is known from the Amazon River basin in Brazil and drainages in French Guiana.[2]
Ochmacanthus are parasites of other fish, especially of catfish of the families Pimelodidae, Auchenipteridae, Doradidae, and Heptapteridae. They are mucus feeders, with experiments showing that they consume the mucus of goldfish. Analysis of δ15N levels showed a higher trophic level than other fish analyzed, including predatory fish such as black piranha (Serrasalmus rhombeus), butterfly peacock bass, and tiger shovelnose catfish (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum, individuals of which were found with Ochmacanthus attached to their heads), including haematophagous pencil catfish such as Vandellia and Paracanthopoma.[3]
Species
There are currently 5 described species in this genus:[4]
- Ochmacanthus alternus G. S. Myers, 1927
- Ochmacanthus batrachostoma (A. Miranda-Ribeiro, 1912)[5]
- Ochmacanthus flabelliferus Eigenmann, 1912
- Ochmacanthus orinoco G. S. Myers, 1927
- Ochmacanthus reinhardtii (Steindachner, 1882)
References
- ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2016). Species of Ochmacanthus in FishBase. January 2016 version.
- ↑ Ferraris, C.J. Jr. (2007). "Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types". Zootaxa 1418: 1–628. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1418.1.1. http://silurus.acnatsci.org/ACSI/library/biblios/2007_Ferraris_Catfish_Checklist.pdf. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
- ↑ Montaña, Carmen G.; Nimee, Chase; Scott, Sophie; Beeksma, Megan; Hasting, Kendall; Jackson, Takiya; Kelso-Winemiller, Leslie; Winemiller, Kirk O. (October 2025). "Parasites Are Paramount: Vertical Trophic Positions of Parasitic Catfishes in a Tropical River Food Web". Ecology of Freshwater Fish 34 (4). doi:10.1111/eff.70025.
- ↑ "Ochmacanthus Eigenmann, 1912". FishBase. World Register of Marine Species. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=270063.
- ↑ Neto, C.S. & de Pinna, M. (2016): Redescription of Ochmacanthus batrachostoma (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1912) (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae): a possible case of incipient paedomorphism. Neotropical Ichthyology, 14 (1): e150030.
Wikidata ☰ Q7076347 entry
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