| Family: |
Trichomycteridae (Pencil or parasitic catfishes), subfamily: Stegophilinae |
| Max. size: |
12 cm SL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
demersal; freshwater |
| Distribution: |
South America: Upper and middle Amazon River basin. |
| Diagnosis: |
|
| Biology: |
Attacks like a leech and produces wounds all over the fish which it attacks. It spreads a bundle of opercular and inter-opercular spines into the wound and remains there, being very difficult to remove. Invades the 'private parts' of wading or swimming animals but apparently exist in these passages only for a short while, as they quickly die from a lack of oxygen (Ref. 6868). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 08 December 2020 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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