Hoplosternum - Weaponchest armored catfishes
Description
Hoplosternum is a small genus of freshwater catfish in the Callichthyinae subfamily of the armored catfish family.
Hoplosternum species are found in tropical Central and South America especially in Guyana.
It is called hassa by the locals.
The name Hoplosternum is derived from the Greek hoplon (weapon) and sternon (chest).
There are currently three described species in this genus:
Hoplosternum littorale (Hancock, 1828) (Atipa)
Hoplosternum magdalenae C. H. Eigenmann, 1913 (Striped hoplo)
Hoplosternum punctatum Meek & Hildebrand, 1916
