Lithogenes valencia Provenzano, Schaefer, Baskin & Royero-Leon, 2003

Family:  Loricariidae (Armored catfishes), subfamily: Lithogeninae
Max. size:  5.12 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; freshwater
Distribution:  South America: Venezuela.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal soft rays (total): 7-7; Anal soft rays: 5-5. The species is distinguished by the following characters: presence of 5 branched anal-fin rays (vs. 7); premaxilla broad elongate (vs. narrow, short), 25-29 premaxillary teeth (vs. 9-10); tooth cusps symmetrically bifid, spatulate and tips not diverged from one another along midline (vs. cusps asymmetrically bifid, or symmetrically bifid with tips diverging from one another along midline); further distinguished from L. wahari by having odontodes along entire length of the ventral surface of the first pelvic-fin ray (vs. no odontodes from proximal portion of ventral surface); accessory premaxillary teeth present (vs. absent); anal fin dusky (vs. intense pigment band along fin base and diffuse spot at midlength of fin rays); adipose fin with an ossified spine along its anterior edge; further distinguished from L. villosus by having a 9 branched pectoral-fin rays (vs. 8); first lateral cheek plate laminar, broad (vs. thin, narrow rod); trunk plates of dorsal and ventral series small, not contacting those of midline series posteriorly (vs. large plates, contacting plates of midline series at least posteriorly); snout region uniformly pigmented or mottled (vs. presence of a dark pigment band lateral to nares) (Ref. 83588).
Biology: 
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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