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Teleostei (teleosts) > Siluriformes (Catfishes) > Aspredinidae (Banjo catfishes) > Aspredininae
Etymology: Platystacus: Greek, platys = flat, broad + Latin, acus = needle (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Bloch.

Issue
See Mees (1987: 186) for detailed description. Friel (1994: 86) removed this species from Aspredo to preserve monophyly of that genus.

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

Freshwater; brackish; demersal; pH range: 6.8 - 8.2; dH range: 12 - 35. Tropical; 22°C - 25°C (Ref. 2060)

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

Central and South America: Venezuela to northern Brazil (including the lower portions of coastal rivers).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 31.8 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 36695); common length : 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217)

Occurs mainly in brackish water. Found on soft bottoms of shallow turbid water near river mouths. Reported to migrate from estuary into freshwater, but actual spawning apparently takes place in brackish water (Ref. 6868). The species has a peculiar mode of egg incubation wherein the female banjo catfish carries the eggs firmly attached to the underside of the body. This seems to be an adaptation to facilitate the oxygenation of the eggs in muddy environments. Reproduction probably occurs during the earlier part of the year (Ref. 35381).

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

Females carry their eggs and young attached to the ventral surface of the body.

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Friel, John P. | Collaborators

Friel, J.P., 2003. Aspredinidae (Banjo catfishes). p. 261-267. 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. 36695)

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

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 05 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 |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Ecology
Ecology

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Length-weight rel.
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Life cycle
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Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 1.0000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00269 (0.00134 - 0.00542), b=3.01 (2.83 - 3.19), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.2 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (29 of 100).

Platystacus cotylephorus Bloch, 1794