Aphanotorulus is a genus of armored catfishes native to the Amazon, Orinoco, Essequibo and Jaguaribe basins in South America.[2][1] They typically occur on a sand or gravel bottom in slow to moderately flowing rivers and streams,[3] but some species occur in areas with fast current.[4] The largest species in the genus reaches up to 51 cm (20 in) in standard length.[3]

Aphanotorulus
Aphanotorulus sp.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Loricariidae
Tribe: Hypostomini
Genus: Aphanotorulus
Isbrücker & Nijssen, 1983
Synonyms

Squaliforma Isbrücker & Michels, 2001[1]

Taxonomy

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The taxonomy of this genus has been a matter of dispute, all having been placed in Hypostomus in the past, and some occasionally placed in Squaliforma. Squaliforma is now regarded as a synonym of Aphanotorulus, but species west of the Andes have been moved to Isorineloricaria.[1]

There are currently 7 recognized species of Aphanotorulus:[1][4]

Of these species, the validity of A. phrixosoma is questionable, as the only known specimen likely is a hybrid between A. horridus and A. unicolor.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Ray, C.K. & Armbruster, J.W. (2016): The genera Isorineloricaria and Aphanotorulus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) with description of a new species. Zootaxa, 4072 (5): 501–539.
  2. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Aphanotorulus". FishBase. May 2017 version.
  3. ^ a b van der Sleen, P.; J.S. Albert, eds. (2017). Field Guide to the Fishes of the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas. Princeton University Press. p. 267. ISBN 978-0691170749.
  4. ^ a b Oliveira, A.S.; L.R. Py-Daniel; C.H. Zawadzki (2017). "A new species of Aphanotorulus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the rio Aripuanã basin, Brazil". Neotrop. Ichthyol. 15 (1). doi:10.1590/1982-0224-20160034.