Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Otomorpha
Subcohors: Ostariophysi
Sectio: Otophysa
Ordo: Siluriformes
Familia: Loricariidae
Subfamilia: Hypostominae
Tribus: Ancistrini
Genus: Leporacanthicus
Species (4): L. galaxias – L. heterodon – L. joselimai – L. triactis
Name
Leporacanthicus Isbrücker & Nijssen, 1989
References
Primary references
Isbrücker I. & Nijssen H. 1989. Diagnose dreier neuer Harnischwelsgattungen mit fünf neuen Arten aus Brasilien (Pisces, Siluriformes, Loricariidae). Die Aquarien- und Terrarienzeitschrift ("DATZ") 42(9): 541–547. (German) Reference page.
Leporacanthicus is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes native to South America.
Species
There are currently four recognized species in this genus:[1]
Leporacanthicus galaxias Isbrücker & Nijssen, 1989
Leporacanthicus heterodon Isbrücker & Nijssen, 1989
Leporacanthicus joselimai Isbrücker & Nijssen, 1989
Leporacanthicus triactis Isbrücker, Nijssen & Nico, 1992
Distribution
The genus has been reported from the upper Orinoco, the eastern, north-flowing Amazon tributaries, and the Tocantins River.[2]
Description
Leporacanthicus species have large teeth in the upper jaw; usually there are only two teeth on each premaxilla, the inner teeth very long. Species of Leporacanthicus are medium-sized loricariids with a narrow, pointed head, round lower lip, and fleshy tentacles on the upper lip. The colour pattern is generally dark gray to black with white to golden spots or a light gray with medium-sized black spots. The abdomen is naked (scaleless and unplated). The caudal fin is straight and angled posteroventrally.[2] L. galaxias are basic black with many white spots.[3] L. triactis are brown, gray, or charcoal black, save for vivid orange or yellow blotches on the spines of the non-paired fins.[4]
It has been hypothesized that the enlarged teeth of the upper jaw are used to remove snails from their shells. This has been observed in L. joselimai, but specimens from Venezuela seem to have a lot of caddis flies as well as freshwater sponges in the gut.[2]
In the aquarium
Leporacanthicus are called vampire plecostomus in the aquarium literature in reference to their large teeth that are characteristic of the genus.[2][3][4] These species should be fed invertebrate matter such as mollusks or crustaceans; however, they will accept other foods as well. These fish are territorial species.[3][4] L. galaxias originates from oxygen-rich environments and should be provided with such a habitat in the aquarium.[3] This fish is not often seen during the day.[3] Breeding has been accomplished for L. galaxias but not documented.[3]
References
Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2011). Species of Leporacanthicus in FishBase. December 2011 version.
Armbruster, Jonathan W. "Leporacanthicus Isbrücker and Nijssen, 1989". Retrieved 2007-07-24.
"PlanetCatfish::Catfish of the Month::October 1998". PlanetCatfish.com. 2005-11-26. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
"PlanetCatfish::Catfish of the Month::October 2002". PlanetCatfish.com. 2005-07-26. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/"
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
