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Megalechis

Roberto E. Reis
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Type-species: Callichthys thoracatus Valenciennes, 1840.
See the Complete Catalogue for authorships, synonyms, type-localities, and references.

Containing group: Callichthyidae

Diagnosis

No uniquely derived features where found for Megalechis, but the extremely developed pectoral spine in reproductive males is a derived feature, also shared with Hoplosternum littorale.

Distribution

Both species of Megalechis are distributed east of the Andes in the northern portion of South America, including the Amazonas and Orinoco rivers, as well as the coastal drainages of the Guianas. One single specimen of Megalechis personata, however, was apparently collected in the Río Paraguay system (MZUSP 25262).

Key to the Species Megalechis

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Megalechis thoracata
Location Apuré, Venezuela
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © Roberto E. Reis
About This Page

Roberto E. Reis
Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia da PUCRS, Porto Alegre, Brazil

Page: Tree of Life Megalechis. Authored by Roberto E. Reis. The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.

Citing this page:

Reis, Roberto E. 1997. Megalechis. Version 22 April 1997 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Megalechis/15338/1997.04.22 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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