| Main Ref. | Pereira, E.H., A. Zanata, M. Cetra and R.E. Reis, 2014 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | |
| Different appearance | always different morphology between mature adults |
| Different colors | |
| Remarks | Pelvic fin flap on the dorsal surface of the first pelvic-fin ray of males present (vs. absent or poorly developed in females), and the conical urogenital papilla of males, located immediately posterior to the anal opening (vs. absent in females). Adult males are ornamented with remarkable morphological modifications unusual among neoplecostomine species-the development of hypertrophied odontodes and the shape and size of the pelvic fins. Adult males possess rows of bristle-like, hypertrophied odontodes on the head and body. The first ray of the pelvic fin of males is thicker and stronger than that of females. The pelvic fin of males is much longer, always reaching to, or surpassing, the anal-fin origin (vs. not reaching anal-fin origin in females). |
| Striking features | |
| Body shape lateral | elongated |
| Cross section | |
| Dorsal head profile | |
| Type of eyes | |
| Type of mouth/snout | |
| Position of mouth | |
| Type of scales | |
| Diagnosis |
Hirtella carinata is distinguished from all species belonging to the Loricariidae by its unique pattern of secondary sexual dimorphism consisting of bristle-like hypertrophied odontodes on the head and predorsal area and forming five longitudinal rows on the lateral plates of body in mature males. It differs also from all neoplecostomines and most loricariids by the anterior position of the pelvic fins, which originate on a vertical passing anterior to the nuchal plate and by having an elongate keel of 15-17 azygous plates along the mid-dorsal line between dorsal and caudal fins. It can be further separated from all neoplecostomines, with the exception of Neoplecostomus, by having a medium-sized palatine splint never reaching the anterior border of the nasal fossa (Ref. 97864). |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | Interrupted: No |
| Scales on lateral line | |
| Pored lateral line scales | |
| Scales in lateral series | |
| Scale rows above lateral line | |
| Scale rows below lateral line | |
| Scales around caudal peduncle | |
| Barbels | |
| Gill clefts (sharks/rays only) | |
| Gill rakers | |
| on lower limb | |
| on upper limb | |
| total | |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total | 28 - 29 |
| Attributes | |
| Fins number | 1 |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal |
| Ventral | |
| Spines total | 1 - 1 |
| Soft-rays total | 7 - 7 |
| Adipose fin | absent |
| Attributes | more or less truncate |
| Fins number | |
| Spines total | |
| Soft-rays total | 6 - 6 |
| Pectoral | Attributes |
| Spines 1 | |
| Soft-rays | |
| Pelvics | Attributes |
| Position | |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays 6 - 6 |