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 anduzei:
in honour of Pablo J. Anduze (1902-1989),
Venezuelan explorer, ethnologist, medical entomologist,
and former governor of Amazonas State, Venezuela,
for his continued interest in the natural history
of Venezuela’s Amazon region. Remarks:
Trachelyopterichthys anduzei is found in
remote, sparsely populated areas of the upper Orinoco
in Venezuela and black to clearwater rivers of adjacent
savannahs in Colombia and Venezuela. The species occur
in protected areas. The data in biological collections
and different regional reports do not suggest a perceptible
reduction in the population. Therefore, it is considered
of Least Concern (IUCN 2021).
Common
Name:
None
Synonyms:
None
Family:
Auchenipteridae
Distribution:
South America:Orinoco River basin: Venezuela and Colombia.
Type locality: Laguna de Carida at
the mouth of Caño Carida, Río Orinoco,
Terr. Federal Amazonas, Venezuela.
Size:
14.0cm. (5½ins)
Temp:
20-25°c (67-77°f.)
p.H.
6.0-7.2.
Reference:
Ferraris, C.J. Jr.,
2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes:
Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary
types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2024. FishBase.
World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org,
( 02/2024 ).
Villa-Navarro, F., DoNascimiento, C., Mojica, J.I.,
Rodríguez-Olarte, D., Usma, S. & Herrera-Collazos,
E.E. 2021. Trachelyopterichthys anduzei.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.
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