Spectracanthicus is a small genus

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...

 (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...

 Loricariidae

Loricariidae

Loricariidae is the largest family of catfish , with almost 700 species and new species being described each year. Loricariids originate from fresh water habitats of Costa Rica, Panama, and tropical and subtropical South America. These fish are noted for the bony plates covering their bodies and...

. It includes two species, S. murinus and S. punctatissimus.

Taxonomy

Spectracanthicus was first described in 1986 with S. murinus as the type species

Biological type

In biology, a type is one particular specimen of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached...

 of this genus. S. punctatissimus was transferred to this genus from Oligancistrus after it was concluded that the genus does not warrant recognition because of its close relationship to S. murinus. Some authors maintain the validity of Oligancistrus.

S. murinus appears to be unique in the tribe Ancistrini

Ancistrini

Ancistrini is a tribe of catfishes of the family Loricariidae.-Taxonomy:Ancistrini has previously been considered a loricariid subfamily. However, it was realized that the subfamily Hypostominae would be paraphyletic if Ancistrinae continued to be recognized...

 in that it has lost many of the traits that describe this group, such as evertible cheek plates and modified opercle; S. punctatissimus appears to show a trend towards this loss.

Distribution and habitat

Spectracanthicus are distributed in 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...

. S. murinus originates from the Tapajós River basin. S. punctatissimus originates from the Xingu River

Xingu River

The Xingu River , also called Rio Xingu, is a 1,230-mile long, river in north Brazil; it is a southeast tributary of the Amazon River.-Description and history:...

 basin. Both of these species are from Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

.

Appearance and anatomy

Spectracanthicus are generally small loricariids. S. murinus grows to a length of about 6.4 centimetres (2.5 in) SL

Fish 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:...

. S. punctatissimus reaches a length of about 10.6 cm (4.2 in) SL.