The Prochilodontidae, or flannel-mouthed characins, are a small family of fishes found primarily in the northern half of South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

, south to Paraguay

Paraguay

Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...

 and northern Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

. This family is closely related to the Curimatidae

Curimatidae

Curimatidae is a family of freshwater fishes, known as the toothless characins of the order Characiformes. They originate from southern Costa Rica to northern Argentina. The family has around 95 species, many of them frequently exploited for human consumption...

, and in the past they were included in Characidae

Characidae

The Characidae, characids or characins are a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish, belonging to the order Characiformes. The name "characins" is the historical one, but scientists today tend to prefer "characids" to reflect their status as a by and large monophyletic group at family...

.

These fish have fleshy lips with rows of small teeth; these lips are able to be extended into a sucking disc. The largest species reach up to 80 centimetres (31.5 in) in length, and live in huge schools, making them a popular food fish. They travel upriver to spawn, and make audible grunting noises that have been described as resembling the sound of a motorbike.

Species

The family has three genera and around 21 species:

Family Prochilodontidae

• Genus Ichthyoelephas
  Ichthyoelephas
  Ichthyoelephas is a genus of freshwater fish from the family Prochilodontidae. There are two species in the genus: I. humeralis reaches a length of and is found in the Santiago and Guayas river basins in Ecuador, and I. longirostris reaches a length of and is found in the Cauca and Magdalena...
  
  
  • Ichthyoelephas humeralis
  • Ichthyoelephas longirostris
• Genus Prochilodus
  Prochilodus
  Prochilodus is a genus of freshwater fish from the family Prochilodontidae. This family include two other genera, Ichthyoelephas and Semaprochilodus, which have been included in Prochilodus instead...
  
  
  • Prochilodus argenteus
  • Prochilodus brevis - Brazilian bocachico
  • Prochilodus britskii
  • Prochilodus costatus
  • Prochilodus hartii
  • Prochilodus lacustris
  • Prochilodus lineatus
    Prochilodus lineatus
    Prochilodus lineatus is a South American species of ray-finned fish that inhabits the basin of the Paraná River and the Paraguay River in the Argentine Mesopotamia and Paraguay, the Pilcomayo River in Bolivia, and the Paraíba do Sul River in Brazil...
    
    - Streaked prochilod
  • Prochilodus magdalenae
    Prochilodus magdalenae
    Prochilodus magdalenae are tropical freshwater fish distributed through Colombia. They are found in the Atrato River, the Sinú River, and in the Cauca and Magdalena Rivers. They have been measured to reach , and reported to reach up to . They have a growing role in fisheries....
    
    
  • Prochilodus mariae
  • Prochilodus nigricans
    Prochilodus nigricans
    Prochilodus nigricans, or Black prochilodus, is a tropical South American freshwater fish. It occurs in the Amazon and the Araguaia/Tocantins River basins....
    
    - Black prochilodus
  • Prochilodus reticulatus - Colombian bocachico
  • Prochilodus rubrotaeniatus
  • Prochilodus vimboides
• Genus Semaprochilodus
  Semaprochilodus
  Semaprochilodus is a genus of South American freshwater fish in the family Prochilodontidae. They have sometimes been included in the genus Prochilodus instead. Of the six species, three are from the Amazon Basin, two from the Orinoco Basin and a single from the Maroni Basin...
  
  
  • Semaprochilodus brama
  • Semaprochilodus insignis
  • Semaprochilodus kneri
  • Semaprochilodus laticeps
  • Semaprochilodus taeniurus - Silver prochilodus
  • Semaprochilodus varii