Spatuloricaria is in need of revision, as species boundaries and distributions are poorly known. The phylogenetic position of Spatuloricaria remains uncertain. Spatuloricaria has been placed at the base of a clade including representatives of the Loricaria and Pseudohemiodon groups. Its dentition, with few teeth on the premaxillae, and its abdominal cover consisting of minute disjointed platelets resembles that of some representatives of the Loricaria group. Conversely, the papillose surface of the lips and sexually dimorphic features are more characteristic of the Rineloricaria group.[1]
Sexual dimorphism includes hypertrophied development of claw-like odontodes along the sides of the head and on the pectoral spines in mature males.[1] Ecological data is unavailable and reproductive biology is unknown for Spatuloricaria species.
Species
There are currently 13 recognized species in this genus:
^Londoño-Burbano, Alejandro & Urbano-Bonillla, Alexander & Rojas, Yecid & Ramírez-Gil, Hernando & Prada-Pedreros, Saúl. (2018). A New Species of Spatuloricaria Schultz, 1944 (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), from the Orinoco River Basin, Colombia. Copeia. 106. 611. 10.1643/CI-18-087.
^Fichberg, I., Oyakawa, O.T. & de Pinna, M. (2014): The End of an Almost 70-Year Wait: A New Species of Spatuloricaria (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the Rio Xingu and Rio Tapajós Basins. Copeia, 2014 (2): 317-324.