Teleostei (teleosts) >
Siluriformes (Catfishes) >
Auchenipteridae (Driftwood catfishes) > Auchenipterinae
Etymology: Auchenipterus: Greek, auchen = neck + Greek, pteryx = fin (Ref. 45335).
More on authors: Spix & Agassiz.
Issue
Redescribed in Ferraris & Vari (1999).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; pelagic; pH range: 6.7 - 7.2; dH range: 7 - 16. Tropical; 20°C - 22°C (Ref. 2060)
South America: Lower Amazon and Tocantins rivers northward to Marowijne River. Possibly also Rupununi River in Guyana and Negro River in Brazil.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 27.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26147)
Inhabits lower courses of the larger rivers. Free swimming species found near the surface. Nocturnal, plus active during dusk and dawn. Feeds on smaller fish. The male is recognizable by his thick, ossified maxillary barbels and by the first few rays of the anal fin which are fused, supporting the urogenyla tube that runs along the anterior border to the tip of the rays (Ref. 6868). This fish comprises the majority of the catches in the fish nets and is especially captured during the rainy season which is its reproductive period. Occurs less frequently in flood zones, prefers eroded zones where it appears in large numbers (Ref. 27188).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2003. Auchenipteridae (Driftwood catfishes). p. 470-482. In R.E. Reis, S.O. Kullander and C.J. Ferraris, Jr. (eds.) Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, Brasil. (Ref. 37098)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial
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