PTERYGOPLICHTHINI, Armbruster, 2004

Armbruster, Jonathan W., 2004, Phylogenetic relationships of the suckermouth armoured catfishes (Loricariidae) with emphasis on the Hypostominae and the Ancistrinae, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 141 (1), pp. 1-80 : 61

PTERYGOPLICHTHINI NEW TRIBE

Type genus: Pterygoplichthys Gill, 1858

Includes:

Glyptoperichthys Weber, 1991 (synonym of Pterygoplichthys )

The Hemiancistrus annectens group (undescribed genus)

Liposarcus Günther, 1864 (synonym of Pterygoplichthys )

Pterygoplichthys Gill, 1858

Diagnosis: The Pterygoplichthini is diagnosed by a unique characteristic: the presence of an enlarged stomach that is attached to the dorsal abdominal wall by a connective tissue sheet (213: 1; Armbruster, 1998c). One other characteristic is considered synapomorphic for the Pterygoplichthini : 2–3 rows of plates between the suprapreopercle and exposed opercle (81: 2). More information on the Pterygoplichthini will be presented in a future publication.

Comparisons: The Pterygoplichthini differs from the Rhinelepini and the Hypostomini by having evertible cheek plates. It is difficult to separate the Pterygoplichthini from the Ancistrini except by examining the stomach for the presence of a connective tissue sheet (213: 1). Pterygoplichthys differs from all the Ancistrini except the Acanthicus group and the Chaetostoma group by having more than seven dorsal-fin rays; from the Chaetostoma group by having plates on the abdomen; from Acanthicus by having an adipose fin present (vs. absent) and by having the pteroticsupracleithrum taller than long (vs. longer than tall); and from Leporacanthicus , Megalancistrus , and Pseudacanthicus by having the dentaries meet at an angle greater than 80∞ (vs. less than 80∞).

The H. annectens group differs from the Acanthicus and Chaetostoma groups by having seven dorsalfin rays (vs. eight or more); from Ancistrus , the Chaetostoma group, Dekeyseria , most Lasiancistrus , Leporacanthicus , the Lithoxus group, Hemiancistrus megacephalus , Neblinichthys , Pseudancistrus , and Spectracanthicus by having plates on the abdomen (vs. abdomen naked, an undescribed species of the H. annectens group from western Panama and southern Costa Rica also lacks plates on the abdomen, but it is not sympatric to any other species of the Hypostominae ); from Hypancistrus , Panaque, Parancistrus , and most Peckoltia by having the dentaries meet at an angle greater than 80 ∞ (vs. less than or equal to 80 ∞); from all but Acanthicus , Dekeyseria , Cordylancistrus platycephalus , Hemiancistrus landoni , Panaque , and Peckoltia by having keeled lateral plates (vs. unkeeled); and from H. landoni by having less than ten hypertrophied cheek odontodes (vs. 10 +). See Hypostomini for more detail.