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John P. Sullivan (1) Yann Fulliquet (2) Joe Cutler (2)

Description: These catfish are slim and elongated and possess bony projections (plates) that radiate from the vertabrae reaching all the way to the skin. The projections expand over the skins surface, forming a shield that in some species covers much of the body. They lack a swimbladder so they tend to avoid open waters. Habitat: The nine species in this genera prefer the upper courses of the rivers as they are rheophilic (an organism that prefers to live in fast moving water). Etymology: The specific name typica: serving as type of genus. Remarks: D. typica is the type species for this genus and the holotype was collected in the Doumé Falls, Gabon, hence the genus name.

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Amphiliidae

Africa: Congo River basin and coastal rivers from Cameroon to Congo. Type locality: Doumé (rivière Ogôoué).

13.0.cm (5¼ins)

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Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628.
Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 1991. Catfish in the Aquarium. An introduction to Catfish Keeping and the Diversity of Catfish Forms and Behavior. Tetra Press.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2011. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version.
Seegers, L., 2008. The catfishes of Africa: A handbook for identification and maintenance. Aqualog Verlag A.C.S. GmbH, Germany. 604 p.
Skelton, P.H. and G.G. Teugels, 1986. Amphiliidae. p. 54-65. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren; and ORSTOM, Paris. Vol. 2.