Editing Callichthyidae

{{Short description|Family of fishes}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Armored catfish
| fossil_range = {{fossilrange|58.5|0|PS=[[Thanetian|Late Paleocene]]–[[Holocene|Present]]|refs=<ref name="Lundberg2007">{{Cite journal |last1=Lundberg |first1=John G. |last2=Sullivan |first2=John P. |last3=Rodiles-Hernández |first3=Rocío |last4=Hendrickson |first4=Dean A. |date=2007-06-01 |title=Discovery of African roots for the Mesoamerican Chiapas catfish, ''Lacantunia enigmatica'', requires an ancient intercontinental passage |url=https://webspace.utexas.edu/deanhend/www/pdfs/Lundberg_2007_African_roots_Lacantunia.pdf |journal=[[Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia]] |volume=156 |issue=1 |pages=39–53 |doi=10.1635/0097-3157(2007)156[39:DOARFT]2.0.CO;2 |issn=0097-3157|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326130159/https://webspace.utexas.edu/deanhend/www/pdfs/Lundberg_2007_African_roots_Lacantunia.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-26 }}</ref>}}
| image = Callichthys callichthys.JPG
| image_caption = ''[[Callichthys callichthys]]''
| taxon = Callichthyidae
| authority = [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1838
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = * sub-family '''Callichthyinae'''
''[[Callichthys]]''<br />
''[[Dianema]]''<br />
''[[Hoplosternum]]''<br />
''[[Lepthoplosternum]]''<br />
''[[Megalechis]]''
* sub-family '''Corydoradinae'''
''[[Aspidoras]]''<br />
''[[Corydoras]]'' (including ''[[Brochis]]'')<br />
[[Gastrodermus]] <br />
[[Hoplisoma]] <br />
[[Osteogaster]] <br />
''[[Scleromystax]]''
}}

'''Callichthyidae''' is a [[family (biology)|family]] of [[catfish]]es ([[order (biology)|order]] [[Siluriformes]]), called '''armored catfishes''' due to the two rows of bony plates (or scutes) along the lengths of their bodies. It contains some of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish, such as many species in the genus ''[[Corydoras]]''.

==Taxonomy==
The family derives its name from the [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] words {{lang|grc-Latn|kalli-}} ({{wikt-lang|grc|καλλι-}}, 'beautiful') and {{lang|grc-Latn|ichthys}} ({{wikt-lang|grc|ἰχθύς}}, 'fish').<ref name=fishbase>{{FishBase family|family=Callichthyidae|month=March|year=2007}}</ref> Callichthyidae is one of six families in the superfamily [[Loricarioidea]], and is sister to a [[clade]] formed by [[Scoloplacidae]], [[Astroblepidae]], and [[Loricariidae]].<ref name="Reis"/> Within the family Callichthyidae, the two subfamilies have eight genera and about 177 species,<ref name="Nelson"/> accounting for about 7% of all catfish. Most of these species are in the genus ''Corydoras'', the largest catfish genus.<ref name="Reis">{{cite web|url=http://www.tolweb.org/Callichthyidae/15197|title=Callichthyidae. Armored Catfishes|first=Roberto E.|last=Reis|author-link=Roberto Esser dos Reis|publisher=[[Tree of Life Web Project]]|date=1998-05-14|access-date=2007-07-04}}</ref>

The subfamily Corydoradinae includes about 90% of the species in the family Callichthyidae and is one of the most diverse siluriform assemblages in the [[Neotropics]], with about 170 valid species.<ref name="Britto2003">{{cite journal|url=http://acd.ufrj.br/ppgzoo/orientadores/dados/Artigos%20Brito/Phylogeny%20Corydoradinae%20(Britto).pdf|title=Phylogeny of the subfamily Corydoradinae Hoedeman, 1952 (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae), with a definition of its genera|first=Marcelo R.|last=Britto|journal=Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia|volume=153|pages=119–154|date=December 2003|doi=10.1635/0097-3157(2003)153[0119:POTSCH]2.0.CO;2|s2cid=85655845 |access-date=2011-08-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928020843/http://acd.ufrj.br/ppgzoo/orientadores/dados/Artigos%20Brito/Phylogeny%20Corydoradinae%20%28Britto%29.pdf|archive-date=28 September 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> It includes two tribes, '''Aspidoradini''' and '''Corydoradini'''. Aspidoradini contains ''[[Aspidoras]]'' and ''[[Scleromystax]]'', while '''Corydoradini''' contains ''[[Corydoras]]'' and ''[[Brochis]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fishbase.org/NomenClature/ScientificNameSearchList.php?crit1_fieldname=SYNONYMS.SynGenus&crit1_fieldtype=CHAR&crit1_operator=EQUAL&crit1_value=Brochis&crit2_fieldname=SYNONYMS.SynSpecies&crit2_fieldtype=CHAR&crit2_operator=contains&crit2_value=&group=summary&backstep=-2|title = Scientific Name - Search Result}}</ref><ref>Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish (2005) ([[David Alderton]]) page 121</ref> Some believe the genus ''Brochis'' should be [[synonym (taxonomy)|synonymized]] with ''Corydoras''.<ref name="Britto2003"/>

The subfamily Callichthyinae contains ''[[Callichthys]]'', ''[[Dianema]]'', ''[[Hoplosternum]]'', ''[[Lepthoplosternum]]'', and ''[[Megalechis]]''. According to a 1997 paper, ''Callichthys'' is the most [[basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] member of the subfamily.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Copeia]]|year=2004|issue=2|pages=336–343|title=''Callichthys serralabium'': A New Species of Neotropical Catfish from the Upper Orinoco and Negro Rivers (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae)|first=Pablo|last=Lehmann A.|author2=Reis, Roberto E. |author-link2=Roberto Esser dos Reis |doi=10.1643/CI-03-129R|volume=2004|s2cid=86143425|editor1-last=Armbruster|editor1-first=J. W.}}</ref> In a 2004 study, different relationships among the callichthyines were found: ''Dianema'' and ''Hoplosternum'' form the most basal clade, and ''Callichthys'' is [[cladistics|sister]] to ''Lepthoplosternum'' and ''Megalechis''.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Two New Species of the Neotropical Catfish Genus ''Lepthoplosternum'' (Ostariophysi: Siluriformes: Callichthyidae)|first=Roberto E.|last=Reis|author-link=Roberto Esser dos Reis|author2=Kaefer, Cíntia C.|journal=[[Copeia]]|year=2005|issue=4|pages=724–731|doi=10.1643/0045-8511(2005)005[0724:TNSOTN]2.0.CO;2|volume=2005|s2cid=85923637 |editor1-last=Armbruster|editor1-first=J. W.}}</ref> In a 2013 study, Dianema is the sister group of all the remaining genera.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mariguela |first1=Tatiane C. |last2=Alexandrou |first2=Markos A. |last3=Foresti |first3=Fausto |last4=Oliveira |first4=Claudio |date=2013 |title=Historical biogeography and cryptic diversity in the Callichthyinae (Siluriformes, Callichthyidae) |journal=Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research |language=en |volume=51 |issue=4 |pages=308–315 |doi=10.1111/jzs.12029|doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Fossil record==
The first known fossil species of callichthyid is ''[[Corydoras revelatus]]'' from [[Salta]], [[Argentina]], of the late [[Paleocene]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=A Fossil Fish of the Family Callichthyidae|first=T. D. A.|last=Cockerell|year=1925|journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]]|volume=62|issue=1609|pages=397–398|doi=10.1126/science.62.1609.397-a|pmid=17832656|bibcode=1925Sci....62..397C|s2cid=40607318 }}</ref><ref name="Ferraris">{{cite journal|url=http://silurus.acnatsci.org/ACSI/library/biblios/2007_Ferraris_Catfish_Checklist.pdf|title=Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types|first=Carl J. Jr.|last=Ferraris|journal=[[Zootaxa]]|volume=1418|pages=1–628|year=2007|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.1418.1.1|access-date=2009-06-22}}</ref> This species is tentatively placed in ''Corydoras'', but is unambiguously a member of the subfamily Corydoradinae.<ref name="Britto2003"/> It indicates that the lineages leading to the two callichthyid subfamilies occurred at least by the late Paleocene.<ref name="Britto2003"/> It also suggests an earlier differentiation of [[Loricarioidea|loricarioids]] in comparison to other catfishes, or a lack of older fossils of other Neotropical groups.<ref name="Britto2003"/>

A fossil identified as a ''Hoplosternum'' species has also been identified from the middle [[Miocene]] in the [[La Venta]] formation, [[Magdalena River]] basin, [[Colombia]].<ref name="Ferraris"/>

==Distribution==
The [[Neotropics|Neotropical]] family Callichthyidae is found in most [[South America]]n river drainages ([[Paraná River|Paraná]]-[[Paraguay River|Paraguay]], [[São Francisco River|São Francisco]], [[Atlantic]] Coastal basins in [[Brazil]], [[Amazon basin|Amazon]], [[Orinoco]], [[Lake Maracaibo|Maracaibo]], [[Magdalena River|Magdalena]]). ''[[Hoplosternum punctatum]]'' is the only species in Central America, as it occurs in a few rivers in [[Panama]]. Callichthyidae present the highest [[species richness]] in the headwaters of the Amazonas drainage and those rivers draining the [[Guiana Shield]].<ref name="Reis"/>

The subfamily Corydoradinae is found east of the [[Andes]] and north of the [[Rio de La Plata]] system.<ref name="Britto2003"/> Representatives of the Corydoradinae are found in several freshwater environments, ranging from fast-flowing [[Wiktionary:piedmont|piedmont]] streams with sandy or rocky bottoms to lowland pools with muddy bottoms.<ref name="Britto2003"/> A single species, ''Aspidoras mephisto'', is a [[cavefish]].<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Tencatt | first1 = Caserta | last2 = Bichuette | first2 = M. Elina | year = 2017 | title = Aspidoras mephisto, new species: The first troglobitic Callichthyidae (Teleostei: Siluriformes) from South America | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 12 | issue = 3| page = e0171309 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0171309| pmid = 28248959 | pmc = 5331963 | bibcode = 2017PLoSO..1271309T | doi-access = free }}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:Atipa from French Guiana.jpg|thumb|right|Closeup photograph of ''Hoplosternum littorale'' showing overlapping bony plates]]
Callichthyids are fairly small catfish, and range in size from some tiny ''Corydoras'' species that do not exceed {{convert|2|cm|in|abbr=on}} to ''[[Hoplosternum littorale]]'', which some sources list as growing to a length of up to {{convert|24|cm|in|abbr=on}} [[fish measurement|TL]].<ref name="Reis"/><ref name=littorale>{{FishBase|genus=Hoplosternum|species=littorale|year=2007|month=July}}</ref> The mouth is small and ventral with one or two pairs of well-developed barbels.<ref name="Nelson">{{cite book|title=[[Fishes of the World]]|last=Nelson|first=Joseph S.|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]], Inc|year=2006|isbn=0-471-25031-7}}</ref> The [[dorsal fin|dorsal]] and [[pectoral fin]]s have strong spines, and a spine is found at the anterior border of the adipose fin.<ref name="Nelson"/> In many species of this family, these spines are also venomous as an added deterrent to predators.<ref>{{cite journal| pmc=2791775 | pmid=19961571 | doi=10.1186/1471-2148-9-282 | volume=9 | title=Diversity, phylogenetic distribution, and origins of venomous catfishes | year=2009 | journal=BMC Evol Biol | page=282 | last1 = Wright | first1 = JJ | issue=1 | doi-access=free | bibcode=2009BMCEE...9..282W }}</ref>

The scutes that give these fish their name are one of their most prominent characteristics. The body has two rows of overlapping bony plates on each side.<ref name="Nelson"/> The plates are arranged so they overlap along the rows as well as between the rows, providing protection but also allowing some freedom of movement. These scutes connect with the solid bones of the head, and the head itself may be covered with bony plates. The upper row of lateral scutes may either meet on the back or a narrow bare area may be filled with small oval or roundish bony platelets.

Species of the Corydoradinae are of small size (maximum about {{convert|9|cm|in|abbr=on}} in [[fish measurement|standard length]]) and are easily distinguished from other callichthyids by their deep bodies and short [[barbel (anatomy)|maxillary barbels]].<ref name="Britto2003"/>

==Ecology==
Living habits are varied; the family includes both bottom-foraging and midwater species. Callichthyids inhabit a wide range of habitats, from small, swift, oxygen-rich creeks to big rivers and flooded areas. Their habitats may even include swampy and muddy ones where oxygen may be virtually absent.<ref name="Reis"/> Callichthyids survive in these conditions by breathing air, collecting and swallowing it at the water's surface. The [[intestine]]s are used to absorb oxygen, and the air is expelled from the [[anus]].<ref name="Reis"/> The anterior digestive intestine packages digesta into a string of slightly compressed [[Bolus (digestion)|bolus]]es, creating an air channel in the digestive intestine, thus allowing air to pass unimpeded. The posterior intestine is modified for respiration into a thin-walled and highly vascularized structure by reduction of the thickness of the epithelium, submucosa, and muscle layers; though highly modified to absorb air, it is inefficient for digestive purposes. Air moving through the digestive tract facilitates the movement of digesta to the [[rectum]].<ref name="Persaud">{{cite journal|title=Trade-off between digestion and respiration in two airbreathing callichthyid catfishes ''Holposternum littorale'' (Hancock) and ''Corydoras aeneus'' (Gill)|first=David I.|last=Persaud|author2=Ramnarine, Indar W. |author3=Agard, John B. R. |journal=Environ Biol Fish|year=2006|volume=76|pages=159–165|doi=10.1007/s10641-006-9019-2|issue=2–4|bibcode=2006EnvBF..76..159P |s2cid=20467302}}</ref> Unlike other catfish such as [[Loricariidae|loricariids]] or [[Trichomycteridae|trichomycterids]] that may breathe air only under [[Hypoxia (environmental)|hypoxic]] conditions, callichthyids breathe air under all water conditions.<ref name="Reis"/> Some callichthyids are able to absorb air through their hind guts to move short distances on land.<ref name="Nelson"/> Air stored in their digestive tracts also accounts for 75% of the necessary air for neutral [[buoyancy]].<ref name="Reis"/>

[[Reproduction|Breeding habits]] are also variable. Corydoradines breed over the substrate (such as rocks, logs, or leaves) as most catfish. However, the members of the subfamily Callichthyinae are known for building and guarding floating foam [[bubble nest]]s; ''[[Hoplosternum littorale]]'' is reported to have the most complex nest structure.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Foam nest production in the armoured catfish|first=D. V.|last=Andrade|author2=Abe, A. S.|journal=Journal of Fish Biology|year=1997|volume=50|pages=665–667|doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.1997.tb01957.x|issue=3|bibcode=1997JFBio..50..665A }}</ref> These floating nests are made of foam and plant debris. Spawning and caring for the eggs and larvae takes place in these nests.<ref name="Reis"/><ref name="Burgess">{{cite book|last= Burgess|first=Dr. Warren E.|title=A Complete Introduction to Corydoras and Related Catfishes|publisher=T.F.H. Publications|year=1987|location=Neptune City, NJ|isbn=0-86622-264-2}}</ref> Parental care in callichthyines is by the male.<ref name="Hostache">{{cite journal|title=Reproductive biology of the neotropical armoured catfish ''Hoplosternum littorale'' (Siluriformes - Callichthyidae): a synthesis stressing the role of the floating bubble nest|first=Gérard|last=Hostache|author2=Mol, Jan H.|journal=Aquat. Living Resour.|volume=11|issue=3|year=1998|pages=173–185|doi=10.1016/S0990-7440(98)80114-9|bibcode=1998AqLR...11..173H |url=http://www.alr-journal.org/index.php?option=article&access=standard&Itemid=129&url=/articles/alr/pdf/1998/03/alr8275.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704133506/http://www.alr-journal.org/index.php?option=article&access=standard&Itemid=129&url=%2Farticles%2Falr%2Fpdf%2F1998%2F03%2Falr8275.pdf|archive-date=2007-07-04}}</ref> In ''Corydoras'' and ''Hoplosternum'', fertilization of eggs involves 'sperm drinking'; the female and male form the "T-position" with the female's mouth over the male's genital opening, and then the female drinks the sperm, releasing the sperm and eggs simultaneously.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Variation of male reproductive apparatus in relation to fertilization modalities in the catfish families Auchenipteridae and Callichthyidae (Teleostei: Siluriformes)|first=C.|last=Mazzoldi|author2=Lorenzi, V. |author3=Rasotto, M. B. |journal=Journal of Fish Biology|year=2007|volume=70|issue=1 |pages=243–256|doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.2006.01300.x|bibcode=2007JFBio..70..243M }}</ref>

==Relationship to humans==
Some species are quite common in South America and are fished commercially. They are usually cooked in their bony armor.<ref name="Reis"/> Some callichthyids, especially species of ''Corydoras'', are popular as ornamental fish in the [[fishkeeping]] hobby.<ref name="Reis"/>

==References==
{{Commons category|Callichthyidae}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1045611}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Callichthyidae| ]]
[[Category:Fish of South America]]
[[Category:Fish of Panama]]
[[Category:Catfish families]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte]]
[[Category:Extant Thanetian first appearances]]

[[tr:Zırhlı Yayınbalığı]]