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Siluriformes (Catfishes) >
Plotosidae (Eeltail catfishes)
Etymology: Neosilurus: Greek, neos = new + Greek, silouros = cat fish (Ref. 45335); mollespiculum: Named for its soft, flexible dorsal spine.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal. Tropical
Oceania: Burdekin River system, northeastern Queensland, Australia.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 44.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 44894); 41.0 cm SL (female)
Inhabits rocky pools in main river channels and larger creeks. Omnivorous (Ref. 44894). Stomach contents of fish less than 10 cm SL were mainly insects and their larvae, primarily chironomid larvae, ephemeropterans, and trichopterans; small amounts of odonates, unidentified dipterans, ostracods, and filamentous algae. Fish larger than 10 cm mainly ingested trichopterans, ostracods, and chironomids with some amounts of dipterans, odonates, aquatic coleopterans, corixids, Macrobrachium, bivalves, filamentous algae, and detritus (Ref. 27663). Collection of specimens with ripe and recently spent gonads in November suggests that breeding occurs at the commencement of the wet season (Ref. 44894).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Allen, G.R. and M.N. Feinberg, 1998. Descriptions of a new genus and four new species of freshwater catfishes (Plotosidae) from Australia. aqua, J. Ichthyol. Aquat. Biol. 3(1):9-18. (Ref. 27663)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5005 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01000 (0.00244 - 0.04107), b=3.04 (2.81 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.1 ±0.40 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (41 of 100).