Author Description

The sucker mouth catfishes are presently comprised of over 650 described and many additional, still un-described species. This makes them the largest family of South American catfishes, and many of its members are popular aquarium residents. The present tome is the first volume of a two part thorough treatise on the family Loricariidae, to an extent unavailable to date. The emphasis of this First Volume is on an introductory section describing the habitats and providing extensive information in regard to maintenance and reproduction as well as the presentation of the subfamilies Hypoptopomatinae (Otocinclus) and Loricariidae. These interesting fishes are lavishly presented in over 900 full-color photographs. An additional, more concise section deals with – as part of an overview of the South American catfishes in general – the families Cetopsidae (whale catfishes), Nematogenyidae, and Trichomycteridae (parasitic catfishes). The CATFISH ATLAS is intended as an identification guide for the interested aquarist, but also as an aid for the proper maintenance and reproduction of these fishes. The scientifically inclined reader, too, will find this worldwide largest monograph on sucker mouth catfishes an invaluable reference.