Driftwood catfish

Driftwood catfishes
Trachelyopterus galeatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Siluriformes
Superfamily:	Doradoidea
Family:	Auchenipteridae Bleeker, 1862
Genera
Subfamily Centromochlinae   Centromochlus   Gelanoglanis   Glanidium   Tatia Subfamily Auchenipterinae   Ageneiosus   Asterophysus   Auchenipterichthys   Auchenipterus   Entomocorus   Epapterus   Liosomadoras   Pseudauchenipterus   Pseudepapterus   Pseudotatia   Tetranematichthys   Tocantinsia   Trachelyichthys   Trachelyopterichthys   Trachelyopterus   Trachycorystes

The driftwood catfishes are catfishes of the family Auchenipteridae.

The two genera of the family Ageneiosidae have been placed here, resulting in a grouping of about 60 species in about 19 genera.^[1]

These fish are found in rivers from Panama to Argentina.^[1] They are commonly found in river flood plains.^[2]

All but one species have three pairs of barbels, with the nasal barbels absent. Most species have a very small adipose fin.^[1] While Ageneiosus inermis is known to reach 59 centimetres (23 in) in length, most are small, with some species not known at any longer than 3 centimetres (1.2 in).^[1] The eggs are fertilised internally.^[1]

Driftwood catfishes are nocturnal. Some of the smaller species are known to hide in logs and crevices during the day and come out to feed during the night. Some larger species can consume fruits and insects and are probably omnivorous. Fish of this family seem to feed primarily on insects, but will also eat fish, shrimp, fruit, and even filamentous algae and other plant material, at least occasionally.^[2]

External links

• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2007). "Auchenipteridae" in FishBase. Mar 2007 version.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-25031-7. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Rodriguez, Marco A.; Richardson, Susan E.; Lewis, William M. Jr. (1990). "Nocturnal Behavior and Aspects of the Ecology of a Driftwood Catfish, Entomocorus gameroi (Auchenipteridae)". Biotropica (The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation) 22 (4): 435–438. doi:10.2307/2388565. JSTOR 2388565.