Striped Raphael catfish

Striped Raphael catfish
Striped Raphael catfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Doradidae
Genus: Platydoras
Species: P. armatulus
Binomial name
Platydoras armatulus
(Valenciennes, 1840)
Synonyms
  • Doras armatulus
    Valenciennes, 1840

Striped Raphael catfish, Platydoras armatulus, is a catfish of the family Doradidae. It may also be called talking catfish, chocolate doradid, chocolate catfish or thorny catfish.[1] This peaceful, nocturnal species is a popular aquarium fish due to its pleasant temperament and curious nature.[2][3]

The striped raphael catfish has long been identified as Platydoras costatus.[4]

Contents

Origin and distribution

The striped Raphael catfish are commonly found in the Amazon, Tocantins, Parnaíba, Orinoco, Essequibo Rivers in French Guiana and Suriname of South America.[2] They have been introduced into the contiguous states of the United States.[citation needed]

Description and behavior

These fish burrow in the soft river bottoms and frequently occurs on sandy bottoms.[2] These fish feed on mollusks, crustaceans, and organic debris.[2]

They have rigid pectoral fin spines. The striped Raphael catfish also has tiny and curved protective spines running along its body. The striped Raphael catfish can grow up to 9½ inches (24 cm).[2]

Juvenile raphael catfish have been recorded cleaning piscivorous fish such as Hoplias cf. malabaricus. The stripe pattern in the young may serve as a signal that allows for its recognition as a cleaner. It is noted that the striping pattern is not as strong in adults, and so the cleaning behavior is probably only seen in juveniles.[5]

In the aquarium

Striped Raphael catfish in an aquarium.

These fish grow up to 9 to 12 cm


The striped Raphael catfish is a fine and sociable community fish that are peaceful to fellow catfishes and other fish species.[3] However, they are nocturnal, and are usually not visible during the day.[3]

It is best not to catch the striped Raphael catfish with a fish net because they are prone to sticking out their pectoral fin spines in a very rigid manner, especially if stressed. Untangling these spines from a net is difficult and dangerous to both handler and fish. Alternative methods should be used Although known as a spawning fish, sexual differences are unknown and there have been no reports of being successfully bred in captivity.[3] Because of this, these fish must be wild-caught, and therefore contaminants sometime occur in the hobby, such as Orinocodoras eigenmanni, which differs in a longer snout.[3] Also if you are cleaning a tank with one in it. While taking it out without (due to them being snagged by their spikes along side their body) a net along with the Featherfin Squeaker it will make some grunting/squeaking noises while out of water.

See also

References

  1. ^ Agbayani, Eli (2004-12-10). "Common Names List". FishBase. http://www.fishbase.org/ComNames/CommonNameSummary.cfm?autoctr=80798107. Retrieved 2007-05-21. 
  2. ^ a b c d e Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2007). "Platydoras costatus" in FishBase. May 2007 version.
  3. ^ a b c d e "PlanetCatfish::Catfish of the Month::July 1999". Planetcatfish.com. 2007-02-10. http://www.planetcatfish.com/cotm/cotm.php?article_id=76. Retrieved 2007-06-19. 
  4. ^ Piorski, Nivaldo M.; Garavello, Julio C.; Arce H., Mariangeles; Pérez, Mark H. Sabaj (2008). "Platydoras brachylecis, a new species of thorny catfish (Siluriformes: Doradidae) from northeastern Brazil". Neotropical Ichthyology 6 (3): 481–494. doi:10.1590/S1679-62252008000300021. 
  5. ^ Carvalho, Lucélia Nobre; Arruda, Rafael; Zuanon, Jansen Zuanon (2003). "Record of cleaning behavior by Platydoras costatus (Siluriformes: Doradidae) in the Amazon Basin, Brazil". Neotropical Ichthyology 1 (2): 137–139. doi:10.1590/S1679-62252003000200009. http://www.ufrgs.br/ni/vol1num2/1(2)scientificnotes_02.pdf. 

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