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The Heptapteridae are a family of catfish that originate from the Americas. Most species are restricted to South America, but ''Imparfinis lineatus'', ''Nemuroglanis panamensis'' and ''Pimelodella chagresi'' are native to Panama, and ''Rhamdia'' occur as far north as Mexico. Heptapteridae is derived from Greek, ''hepta'' meaning seven and ''pteron'' meaning fin. The diversity of this family is poorly known, and many species are yet to be described.〔 So far, some 211 species have been described. This family is equivalent to the previously recognized Rhamdiinae, a subfamily of the family Pimelodidae.〔 However, molecular evidence shows this family is a part of the superfamily Pimelodoidea along with Pimelodidae, Pseudopimelodidae, and ''Conorhynchos''. The skin of these fish is usually naked (scaleless). They exhibit three pairs of barbels. They have a large adipose fin, and their caudal fin is deeply forked. However, no external characteristics unique to this family allow it to be differentiated from Pimelodidae.〔 The Heptapteridae include a few troglobitic species in the genera ''Pimelodella'', ''Rhamdia'', and ''Taunayia'', as well as in an undescribed genus. ==References== 〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Heptapteridae」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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