Amaralia oviraptor Friel & Carvalho, 2016

Family:  Aspredinidae (Banjo catfishes), subfamily: Aspredininae
Max. size:  12.28 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; freshwater
Distribution:  South America: Paraná-Paraguay River system; throughout the Paraguay River Basin in Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina; and Paraná drainage in Argentina and Brazil.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal soft rays (total): 3-3; Anal soft rays: 5-6; Vertebrae: 29-31. Amaralia oviraptor differs from its only congener, A. hypsiura, by having more dorsal-fin rays (3 vs. 2); by having a lateral contact between middle and posterior nuchal plates (vs. middle and posterior nuchal plates not contacting each other laterally); by having feeble serrations along the distal portion of the anterior margin of pectoral-fin spine (vs. absence of serrations along the anterior margin); and by its longer cleithral process (17.4-19.5 % of SL, mean 18.2 % vs. 14.0-17.2 % of SL, mean=15.5 %) (Ref. 111083).
Biology:  Feeds on both the eggs and developing embryos of other catfishes (Ref. 111083).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 23 November 2020 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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