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Allan James (4) Daniel Blom (4) Peru Aquarium Group (1) Erlend D Bertelsen (1)

Aquarium Care: Relatively peaceful but will eat smaller fish when larger. Provide floating plants for seclusion as this is a nocturnal species. Provide caves/pipes for hiding out during the daylight hours. Sexual Differences: as with all of this family internal fertilization is carried out. The anal fin is the key to the sexual dimorphism of this genus, if you think of the male and female of most livebearer fish (Goodeidae family) and you will not be too far away with this assumption. The female has a normal anal fin but the males are modified into a copulatory organ with the first and second ray thickened and longer, it is thought that the male uses this to clasp the female during the spawning embrace. The eggs are laid on a previously cleaned surface. Etymology: Trachelyopterichthys: from the Greek, trachelos, meaning neck, pteron, meaning fin and ichthys, meaning fish; in reference to the long cranial shield, giving the appearance that the dorsal fin starts in the region of the neck area. The specific name taeniatus: striped; banded.

Striped Woodcat

Trachelyopterus taeniatus

Auchenipteridae

South America: Upper Amazon River basin. Type locality: Rio Guaporé, Brazil.

18.0cm. (7¼ins)

20-25°c (67-77°f.)

6.0-7.2.

Baensch, H.A. and R. Riehl 1985 Aquarien atlas. Band 2. Mergus, Verlag für Natur- und Heimtierkunde GmbH, Melle, Germany. 1216 p.