Ichthyoelephas

Ichthyoelephas is a genus of South American freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Prochilodontidae, the bocachicos or flannel-mouthed characiformes.^[2]

Ichthyoelephas
Ichthyoelephas longirostris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Characiformes
Family:	Prochilodontidae
Genus:	Ichthyoelephas Posada, 1909[1]
Type species
Ichthyoelephas patalo, (a synonym of Ichthyoelephas longirostris) Posada, 1909[1]

There are two species in the genus: I. humeralis reaches a length of at least 40 cm (1.3 ft) and is found in the Santiago and Guayas river basins in Ecuador,^[3] and I. longirostris reaches a length of 80 cm (2.6 ft) and is found in the Cauca–Magdalena river basin in Colombia.^[4]

They feed on algae and detritus that are taken off rocks with their fleshy lips.^[5][6] They are commercially important food fish.^[5][6]

Species

There are two species:^[7]

• Ichthyoelephas humeralis (Günther, 1860)
• Ichthyoelephas longirostris (Steindachner, 1879)