Kingdom Animalia Subfamily Stegophilinae Phylum Chordata Rank Genus | Family Trichomycteridae Scientific name Stegophilus Higher classification Stegophilinae Order Catfish | |
Similar Catfish, Ochmacanthus, Listrura | ||
Stegophilus is a genus of pencil catfishes native to South America.
Species
There are currently three recognized species in this genus:
S. insidiosus originates from the São Francisco River basin in Brazil, S. panzeri is from the lower Amazon River basin in Brazil, and S. septentrionalis is from Orinoco River basin in Venezuela. Stegophilus species grow to between 4.1–4.4 centimetres (1.6–1.7 in) SL. S. insidiosus is a true parasite living in the gill chambers of larger fishes, including catfishes like Sorubim lima; it uses its strong teeth to bite into the gill filaments to suck the blood.
References
Stegophilus Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA