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]

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

• List of freshwater aquarium fish species

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.