Loricariidae

Rineloricaria melini

Rineloricaria melini

Thirteen Centimeters Catfish of South American Waters

• Tropical
• Southern Hemisphere
• Regional distribution
• Freshwater fish
• South America
• Small
• Tropical fish

Rineloricaria melini is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Loricariidae, the suckermouth armored catfishes, and the subfamily Loricariinae, the mailed catfishes. The IUCN state that the only record of this catfish is from its type locality, in the Solimões River, near Manacapuru, Amazonas state in Brazil, however, R. melini appears in the aquarium trade, where it is typically referred to as the dappled whiptail catfish. The holotype had a standard length of 13 cm (5.1 in) and is believed to be a facultative air-breather.