Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Siluriformes (Catfishes) > Loricariidae (Armored catfishes) > Hypostominae
Etymology: Pterygoplichthys: Greek, pterygion, diminutive of pteryx = wing, fin + Greek, hoplon = weapon + Greek, ichthys = fish (Ref. 45335).

Issue
New combination in Günther (1864:238). Redescription in Weber (1992:9). Mitochondrial D-loop sequences used in a molecular phylogeny of Hypostomus and related genera by Montoya-Burgos and Weber (in press, fig 2; EMBL/GenBank AJ318361).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; demersal; pH range: 6.5 - 7.8; dH range: 4 - 20. Tropical; 23°C - 27°C (Ref. 1672); 10°N - 1°N, 68°W - 61°W

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

South America: Orinoco River basin. Reported from Argentina (Ref. 9086). Introduced and have established in Taiwan, mainland USA and Hawaii (Refs. 5723, 44091, 58503).

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m 32.5, range 25 - 40 cm
Max length : 50.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2059)

Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Occurs in streams and lakes (Ref. 44091) and in weedy, mud-bottomed canals (Ref. 5723). Benthic (Ref. 58302). Nocturnal, feeds on algae (Ref. 13371), but will also feed on worms, insect larvae, and other bottom-dwelling aquatic animals (Ref. 44091). Spawning period peaks once a year (Ref. 56986). Reproductive behavior includes digging of burrows for egg laying (Ref. 82067). May exhibit male parental care (Ref. 56986).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Parental care may be exhibited by males (Ref. 56986).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Fisch-Muller, Sonia | Collaborators

Burgess, W.E., 1989. An atlas of freshwater and marine catfishes. A preliminary survey of the Siluriformes. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Neptune City, New Jersey (USA). 784 p. (Ref. 6868)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 24 August 2020

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Trophic ecology
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Ecology
Ecology

Population dynamics
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Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
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Life cycle
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Distribution
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Anatomy
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Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.02455 (0.01270 - 0.04744), b=2.91 (2.75 - 3.07), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 2.2 ±0.12 se; based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=1; Fec = 1,983).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Moderate vulnerability (40 of 100).

Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus (Hancock, 1828)