Megalechis thoracata (Valenciennes, 1840)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Megalechis thoracata (black marble hoplo, spotted hoplo) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Callichthyidae and the subfamily Callichthyinae, the armoured catfishes. M. thoracata is found east of the Andes in the Amazon, Orinoco, and upper Paraguay River basins, as well as in the coastal rivers of the Guianas and northern Brazil. Recent introductions were recorded in the upper Paraná River drainage.
Wikipedia contributors, Megalechis thoracata; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:09:18.483181+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Megalechis thoracata (Valenciennes, 1840)
- Name authority
- (Valenciennes, 1840)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Siluriformes
- Family
- Callichthyidae
- Genus
- Megalechis
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderSiluriformes
- familyCallichthyidae Bonaparte, 1835
- subfamilyCallichthyinae Bonaparte, 1835
- genusMegalechis Reis, 1997
- speciesMegalechis thoracata (Valenciennes, 1840)
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Hoplosternum personatus (Ranzani, 1841) (Ranzani, 1841) | synonym |
| Hoplosternum thoracatum surinamensis Hoedeman, 1952 Hoedeman, 1952 | synonym |
| Hoplosternum thoracatum (Valenciennes, 1840) (Valenciennes, 1840) | synonym |
| Hoplosternum thoracatum thoracatum (Valenciennes, 1840) (Valenciennes, 1840) | synonym |
| Megalechis personata (Ranzani, 1841) (Ranzani, 1841) | synonym |
| Callichthys exaratus Müller & Troschel, 1849 Müller & Troschel, 1849 | synonym |
| Callichthys longifilis Valenciennes, 1840 Valenciennes, 1840 | synonym |
| Callichthys personatus Ranzani, 1841 Ranzani, 1841 | synonym |
| Callichthys thoracatus Valenciennes, 1840 Valenciennes, 1840 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1021884 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:72VPS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.