Metaloricaria Isbruecker , 1975

Raphael Covain & Sonia Fisch-Muller, 2007, The genera of the Neotropical armored catfish subfamily Loricariinae (Siluriformes: Loricariidae): a practical key and synopsis., Zootaxa 1462, pp. 1-40 : 33

Metaloricaria Isbruecker, 1975 .

Type species: Metaloricaria paucidens Isbruecker, 1975 .

Holotype: IRSNB 549 , French Guiana, Maroni River drainage, Ouaqui River upstream of Bali falls .

Gender: feminine.

Metaloricaria is only known from the Guyana Shield in French Guiana and Surinam where the species occupy an ecological niche similar to that of Harttia . The species are rarely found in their natural environment and inhabit primarily streams over rocky and sandy substrates (Le Bail et al. 2000). Sexual dimorphism includes hypertrophied development of odontodes arranged in brushes along the sides of the head and on the spine and rays of the pectoral fins in mature males. Females also possess such brushes along sides of the head, but do not seem to develop pectoral-fin enlarged odontodes (pers. obs. on an adult specimen collected in Crique Voltaire, Maroni drainage, that spontaneously laid large yellowish eggs after catching). Metaloricaria is a curious genus because of its geographic isolation and unique combination of morphological characteristics. The length of the maxillary barbels (longer than in all other Harttiini ), low number of teeth and their reduced size, reduction of the number of caudal-fin rays (i -11-i), and sexual dimorphism reminiscent of that seen in the Rineloricaria group, tend to support a closer relationship of Metaloricaria with the Loricariini . This agrees with Rapp Py-Daniel (1997), who also suggested placement in Loricariini , but outside of any clade, because of an apparent lack of affinities to other Loricariini . The phylogenetic position of Metaloricaria remains uncertain. It was revised by Isbrücker & Nijssen (1982), in which a key to the two species is available.