This Dorad is the real Platydoras
costatus, we now know that this species has never,
or very rarely been exported and as such the species
that we thought was P. costatus is actually
Platydoras
armatulus. Due
to the work carried out in the paper by Piorski,
N.M., J.C. Garavello, M. Arce & M.H. Sabaj Pérez
in 2008 we came to realise that the real P. costatus
was indeed indigenous to the coastal drainages of
Suriname and French Guiana and what we had called
for years, P. costatus, was in fact Platydoras
armatulus. P. costatus lacks a distinct
light stripe on the head and sides. There are four
recognised species of Platydoras: P.
armatulus (Paraguay-Paraná and portions
of Amazon and Orinoco basins), P. costatus
(Corantijn and Maroni basins), P. brachylecis
(Rio Mearim, rio Pindaré, rio Itapecuru
and rio Parnaíba basins in northeastern Brazil)
and P.
hancockii (Negro, Essequibo, Demerara,
and upper Orinoco basins). In
common with most of the Doradidae family it can create
a sound by grating its fin bones in each socket and
amplifying the noise via the swim bladder. Aquarium
Care: If you do have the good luck to have
this species it is a fairly easy catfish to keep as
long as you can provide it with shelter such as pipes
or cave work. It will even jam itself into the pipe
with its pectoral spines and will be unremovable.
Diet: Easy to feed on frozen food
such as bloodworm, tablet and pellet foods. In youngsters
it is better to feed at night after lights out, the
older they get they will get bolder and come out at
feeding time. Remarks:
The specimen depicted was owned by English Dorad specialist
Daphne Layley in about 1985 and lived for many years
in her care. The Photograph in the first thumbnail
image was taken in David Sands shop just before she
bought it in that year. It is depicted in David Sands
book, Catfishes of the World Vol. 4 in page 38b as
Platydoras spp. The last image is the same
specimen. Most of the images depicted online are actually
P. armatulus.
Common
Name:
Striped Dora
Synonyms:
Silurus costatus, Platydoras
helicophilus
Family:
Doradidae
Distribution:
South America:
Negro, Essequibo, Demerara, and upper Orinoco basins.
Essequibo River basins and coastal drainages in French
Guiana and Suriname to Argentina.
Size:
24.0cm. (9½ins)
Temp:
24-30°C
(75-87°F)
p.H.
6.0-7.5.
Reference:
Froese, R. and D. Pauly.
Editors. 2022. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic
publication. www.fishbase.org. Layley, Daphne.
pers. comm. Le Bail, P.-Y., P. Keith and P. Planquette,
2000. Atlas des poissons d'eau douce de Guyane. Tome
2, Fascicule II: Siluriformes. Collection Patrimoines
Naturels 43(II): 307p. Paris: Publications scientifiques
du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. Mol, H.A. Jan, The Freshwater Fishes
of Suriname. BRILL, Leiden Boston, 2012. 889 p. Piorski, N.M., J.C. Garavello, M. Arce &
M.H. Sabaj Pérez (2008): Platydoras
brachylecis, a new species of thorny catfish (Siluriformes:
Doradidae) from northeastern Brazil. Neotropical Ichthyology
6 (3): 481-494. ScotCat Factsheet
no. 308. February 2022.
Platydoras
costatus From the Marowijne River bordering Suriname and
French Guiana
Platydoras
costatus From the Marowijne River bordering Suriname and
French Guiana
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