Genus
Megalechis
- Species
- 2
- Photographed
- 2 of 2
- Difficulty rated
- 2 of 2
Where the name comes fromEdit
from the Greek μέγας (mégas), meaning 'big, large', and λεκίς (lekis), meaning 'small shield', in reference to the greatly enlarged coracoid bones in adult males.
Megalechis pictaBar-tailed Hoplo
Müller & Troschel, 1849
The bar-tailed hoplo, Megalechis picta, is a callichthyid catfish widely distributed east of the Andes in Brazil, Venezuela and Guyana. It is recorded from the Amazon, Orinoco and upper Essequibo systems. Previously referred to as M. thoracata, it can be told from that species by a dark vertical bar in the caudal-fin and a longer dorsal-fin spine. Peaceful and hardy, it can even tolerate hypoxic conditions, and the male builds a nest.
Megalechis thoracataSpotted Hoplo
authority not recorded
The spotted hoplo, Megalechis thoracata, is a callichthyid catfish widespread across northern South America, living primarily in still waters. Still widely referred to as Hoplosternum thoracatum, it can breathe atmospheric air, absorbing the oxygen through the intestine, and this lets it endure poor conditions in the wild. It is also eaten as a food fish in parts of South America.