Lacantuniidae
| Chiapas catfish | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: |
Lacantuniidae Rodiles-Hernández, Hendrickson & Lundberg, 2005 |
| Genus: |
Lacantunia Rodiles-Hernández, Hendrickson & Lundberg, 2005 |
| Species: | L. enigmatica |
| Binomial name | |
|
Lacantunia enigmatica Rodiles-Hernández, Hendrickson & Lundberg, 2005 |
|
The Chiapas catfish, Lacantunia enigmatica, is an unusual species of catfish (order Siluriformes) newly described in 2005 from the Lacantún River in the Mexican state of Chiapas. While discovery of an undescribed species of catfish is not uncommon, discovery of a new family-level taxon of any vertebrate group is a rare event. The Chiapas catfish mainly feeds on crabs, prawns, small fish, and large, tough plant seeds. This catfish is commonly fished in its natural habitat, where it is known as madre de juil, which means "mother of Rhamdia" (a common fish in the area).
It first came to the attention of scientists in 1996, when Rócio Rodiles-Hernández, a Mexican ichthyologist conducting a biotic survey on the river, collected the first specimens from the Chiapas-Guatemala border. Unable to identify the species, Rodiles involved two American catfish specialists, Dean A. Hendrickson of the University of Texas at Austin and John G. Lundberg of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadlephia. A detailed comparative morphological study employing high-resolution, three-dimensional CT-scan imagery of the fish's anatomy revealed a number of distinctive characteristics unique to this species and the absence of characters needed to place this fish in any existing catfish family. In a 2005 publication, these three ichthyologists, with Julian M. Humphries of the University of Texas, described this fish as a new species, genus and family of catfish.
This fish is not related to any of the families found in its range (Ariidae, Ictaluridae, or Heptapteridae). It is most similar to Ictaluridae, but lacks some important characteristics to classify this fish into this family or the other two families. Initial study has placed this fish above Diplomystidae, Cetopsidae, and Hypsidoridae, but further classification is unknown. This family probably represents a basal group in which intermediates have disappeared.
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