Siluranodon auritus

Taxobox
name = "Siluranodon auritus"
status =
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Siluriformes
familia = Schilbeidae
genus = "Siluranodon"
genus_authority = Bleeker, 1858
species = "S. auritus"
binomial = "Siluranodon auritus"
binomial_authority = (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809)
synonyms =

"Siluranodon auritus" is the only species in the genus "Siluranodon" of the catfish (order Siluriformes) family Schilbeidae.cite journal|url=http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2007f/zt01418p300.pdf|title=Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types|first=Carl J., Jr.|last=Ferraris|journal=Zootaxa|volume=1418|pages=1–628|year=2007|format=PDF|doi=10.1186/1471-2148-7-10.|doi_brokendate=2008-06-29]

This species is known from the Nile, Chad, Niger, Volta, and Comoe Rivers. In the Sudd, these fish have been found to occur beneath fringing "Eichornia".

Although it has been previously thought that fish of this species lack teeth, it has been found that they have very reduced teeth. As the fish grows, teeth on the upper jaw are lost due to damage, while teeth on the lower jaw are overgrown by the surrounding bone.cite journal|title=Dentition in the African catfishes "Andersonia" (Amphiliidae) and "Siluranodon" (Schilbeidae) previously considered toothless|first=A. S.|last=Golubtsov|coauthors=Moots, K. A.; Dzerjinskii, K. F.|journal=Journal of Fish Biology|year=2004|volume=64|pages=146–158] It is has been suggested that this species exhibits pedomorphosis, that is, they retain many juvenile traits into adulthood. Some of these include an absence of a dorsal fin spine and a reduced number of ribs. "S. auritus" reaches a length of about 17.5 centimetres (6.9 in) TL.FishBase species|genus=Siluranodon|species=auritus|year=2008|month=Sep]

As adults, "S. auritus" are filter-feeders, feeding primarily on phytoplankton and zooplankton. Stomachs of fish have been examined to contain zooplankton, chironomids and debris.

These fish are oviparous and the eggs are unguarded.

References