No shared
derived characteristic has been found to diagnose the genus Liobagrus.[2] However, it is maintained that this genus is currently
monophyletic. Liobagrus has been placed in the family
Bagridae. Later, it was found to more closely resemble Amblyceps, and was transferred to Amblycipitidae.[2]
Xiurenbagrus was erected because Liobagrus would not be monophyletic with Liobagrus xiurenensis, now Xiurenbagrus xiurenensis. The genera Amblyceps and Liobagrus are
sister group pair that is, in turn, sister to Xiurenbagrus.[2]
Species
There are currently 15 recognized species in this genus:
^Zhao, Y.-H.; Lan, J.-H.; Zhang, C.-G. (2004). "A new species of amblycipitid catfish, Xiurenbagrus gigas (Teleostei: Siluriformes), from Guangxi, China". Ichthyological Research. 51 (3): 228–232.
doi:
10.1007/s10228-004-0220-z.
^
abcdChen, X.-P.; Lundberg, J.G. (1995). "Xiurenbagrus, a New Genus of Amblycipitid Catfishes (Teleostei: Siluriformes), and Phylogenetic Relationships among the Genera of Amblycipitidae". Copeia (4): 780–800.
doi:
10.2307/1447027.
^Sun Z.-W.; Ren S.-J.; Zhang E (2013). "Liobagrus chenghaiensis, a new species of catfish (Siluriformes: Amblycipitidae) from Yunnan, South China". Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. 23 (4): 375–384.