| Stegophilinae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Ochmacanthus reinhardtii | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Trichomycteridae |
| Subfamily: | Stegophilinae Günther, 1864 |
| Type genus | |
| Stegophilus Reinhardt, 1859 | |
| Genera | |
|
Acanthopoma | |
The Stegophilinae are a subfamily of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Trichomycteridae. It includes 12 genera: Acanthopoma, Apomatoceros, Haemomaster, Henonemus, Homodiaetus, Megalocentor, Ochmacanthus, Parastegophilus, Pareiodon, Pseudostegophilus, Schultzichthys, and Stegophilus. A monophyletic group within the Stegophilinae is supported by two characteristics of the lateral line, including Acanthopoma, Henonemus, Megalocentor, Pareiodon, Parastegophilus, and Pseudostegophilus. Acanthopoma and Henonemus have a sister group relationship.
The Stegophilinae are widely distributed in the main South American river basins, including the Amazon, Orinoco, São Francisco, Paraná-Paraguay, and those of southern Brazil. Eight of the genera are distributed in Venezuela.
Stegophilines are sometimes considered candirú, so are considered parasites or semiparasites, because of their peculiar habit of feeding on scales, mucus, or skin of other fishes.
References
- ^ "Stegophilinae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
- ^ DoNascimiento, Carlos; Provenzano, Francisco (2006). "The Genus Henonemus (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) with a Description of a New Species from Venezuela". Copeia. 2006 (2): 198–205. doi:10.1643/0045-8511(2006)6[198:TGHSTW]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 84355922.
- Koch, Walter Rudolf (30 September 2002). "Revisão Taxonômica do Gênero Homodiaetus (Teleostei, Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae) (Portuguese)" (PDF). Iheringia, Sér. Zool., Porto Alegre. 92 (3): 33–46. doi:10.1590/s0073-47212002000300004.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Stegophilinae | |