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  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): 481494. 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): 137139. doi:10.1590/S1679-62252003000200009. http://www.ufrgs.br/ni/vol1num2/1(2)scientificnotes_02.pdf. 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Raphael catfish — may refer to a number of different doradid catfish species:* Striped Raphael catfish, Platydoras costatus * Southern striped Raphael catfish, Platydoras armatulus * Spotted Raphael catfish, Agamyxis albomaculatus or Agamyxis pectinifrons *… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names — Contents 1 List of words 1.1 A 1.2 B 1.3 C …   Wikipedia

  • Acanthodoras — Taxobox name = Acanthodoras regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Actinopterygii ordo = Siluriformes familia = Doradidae genus = Acanthodoras genus authority = Bleeker, 1862 binomial = Acanthodoras cataphractus binomial authority =… …   Wikipedia

  • Platydoras — Taxobox name = Platydoras image caption = Platydoras costatus regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Actinopterygii ordo = Siluriformes familia = Doradidae genus = Platydoras genus authority = Bleeker, 1862 subdivision ranks = Species… …   Wikipedia

  • Cleaner fish — The cleaner wrasses Labroides dimidiatus removing dead skin and external parasites from the grouper Epinephelus tukula. Cleaner fish are fish that provide a service to other fish species by removing dead skin and ectoparasites …   Wikipedia

  • Platydoras costatus — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda ? Pez Gato Rafaelo Clasi …   Wikipedia Español

  • Buffalo Zoo — Infobox zoo zoo name=Buffalo Zoo image caption= date opened=1875 location=Buffalo, New York, USA area=23 acres members=AZA num animals=1200 exhibits=Rainforest Falls, Sea Lion Cove, Otter Creek, Vanishing Animals, Eco Station, Elephants, Giraffes …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/6183738 Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”