Pseudobunocephalus
Encyclopedia
Pseudobunocephalus is a genus
of catfish
es (order
Siluriformes) of the family
Aspredinidae
.
, but after further study it was found that these fish were unrelated to the type species Bunocephalus verrucosus or any of the other existing aspredinid genera. Thus, a new genus was described in 2008.
The species in this genus are as follows:
Pseudobunocephalus is the most basal genus in the family, and represents the sister group
to all other Aspredinidae. P. lundbergi is also the most basal species and is the sister taxon to the rest of the species in the genus.
, Orinoco
, and Paraguay
-Paraná River
basins.
. They are often mistaken at first glance with juvenile Bunocephalus species.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
es (order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Siluriformes) of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Aspredinidae
Aspredinidae
The Aspredinidae are a small South American family of catfishes also known as the banjo catfishes.-Distribution:Aspredinids are found throughout the major tropical rivers of South America...
.
Taxonomy
The species of Pseudobunocephalus were originally classified in the genus BunocephalusBunocephalus
Bunocephalus is a genus of catfishes of the family Aspredinidae. Currently not a natural grouping, Bunocephalus contains species of an undescribed genus Pseudobunocephalus. B...
, but after further study it was found that these fish were unrelated to the type species Bunocephalus verrucosus or any of the other existing aspredinid genera. Thus, a new genus was described in 2008.
The species in this genus are as follows:
- Pseudobunocephalus amazonicus (Mees, 1989)
- Pseudobunocephalus bifidus (EigenmannCarl H. EigenmannCarl H. Eigenmann was an ichthyologist who, along with his wife Rosa Smith Eigenmann, described many of the fishes of North America and South America for the first time....
, 1942) - Pseudobunocephalus iheringii (BoulengerGeorge Albert BoulengerGeorge Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:...
, 1891) - Pseudobunocephalus lundbergi Friel, 2008
- Pseudobunocephalus quadriradiatus (Mees, 1989)
- Pseudobunocephalus rugosus (Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1903)
Pseudobunocephalus is the most basal genus in the family, and represents the sister group
Cladistics
Cladistics is a method of classifying species of organisms into groups called clades, which consist of an ancestor organism and all its descendants . For example, birds, dinosaurs, crocodiles, and all descendants of their most recent common ancestor form a clade...
to all other Aspredinidae. P. lundbergi is also the most basal species and is the sister taxon to the rest of the species in the genus.
Distribution
Pseudobunocephalus species are widespread in the AmazonAmazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
, Orinoco
Orinoco
The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes called the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3% of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia...
, and Paraguay
Paraguay River
The Paraguay River is a major river in south central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina...
-Paraná River
Paraná River
The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language...
basins.
Description
Species of Pseudobunocephalus are small, all of them reaching less than 80 millimetres (3.1 in) SLFish measurement
Fish measurement refers to the measuring of the length of individual fish and of various parts of their anatomy. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology.-Overall length:...
. They are often mistaken at first glance with juvenile Bunocephalus species.