Stegophilinae
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| Stegophilinae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ochmacanthus reinhardtii | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Trichomycteridae |
| Subfamily: | Stegophilinae Günther, 1864[1] |
| Type genus | |
| Stegophilus[1] | |
Stegophilinae is a subfamily of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Trichomycteridae, the pencil and parasitic catfishes. Stegophilines are sometimes considered candirú due to their parasitic or semiparasitic habits, because of their peculiar habit of feeding on scales, mucus, or the skin of other fishes.[3][4]
The Stegophilinae are widely distributed in the main South American river basins, including the Amazon, Orinoco, São Francisco, Paraná-Paraguay, and those of southern Brazil.[5] Eight of the genera are distributed in Venezuela.[3]