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Chris Ralph (4) Daniel Blom (4) Yann Fulliquet (2) Allan James (4) Graham Ramsay (1)

Description: Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 4 - 5; Anal soft rays: 9 - 10; Vertebrae: 35 - 36. Differs from other species by having a wide elliptical cranial fontanel; short postcleithral process not reaching vertical through origin of dorsal fin. The only other Tatia with a variable colouration is Tatia galaxias, but this species differs from T. galaxias by its short postcleithral process ; its small eye, 21.4-26.3% HL and its long snout 38.8-44.3% HL. Can be further diagnosed by the following characters: nasal ossified with wide medial flanges partially sutured to lateral margin of mesethmoid and caudal-fin lobes of mature females with same length, but mature males with elongated upper lobe are other distinguishing features. A iii,6-7; V i5. Post-Weberian vertebrae 35-36. Colouration: Body colouration variable, usually with elliptical spots along sides of body, large specimens with faint spots; or colour pattern uniformly pale brown; and caudal fin with small spots or pale brown. Sexual Differences: 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 wil 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. Etymology: intermedia: intermediate, with eyes larger than T. aulopygia but smaller than Centromochlus heckelii, its presumed congener at the time.

Snowflake Woodcat

Centromochlus intermedius

Auchenipteridae

South America: Amazon River basin and rivers of the Guianas. Type locality: Marabitanos; Pará, Brazil.

12.0cm (4¾ins)

21-24°c (69-75°f.)

6.5-7.5.

Baensch, H.A. and R. Riehl 1991 Aquarien atlas. Bd. 3. Melle: Mergus, Verlag für Natur- und Heimtierkunde, Germany. 1104 p.
Burgess, W.E. 1989 An atlas of freshwater and marine catfishes. A preliminary survey of the Siluriformes. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Neptune City, New Jersey (USA). 784 p.
Catfish Association Great Britain. Volume1.
Sarmento-Soares, Luisa Maria; Martins-Pinheiro, Ronaldo Fernando A systematic revision of  Tatia (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae: Centromochlinae) Neotropical Ichthyology, 6(3):495- 542, 2008.
ScotCat Factsheet June 200. no.048.
Sterba, Gunther: Freshwater Fishes of the World 1.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.