ur
last factsheet of the year (Dec. 2021) belongs to
the Pimelodidae family and to the "Swallowtail
pimeloid" or "Flathead" that is supposed
to be a predatory catfish, but is it?.
Platysilurus
mucosus
Platysilurus
mucosus only
grows to 20.0cm. (8ins) Standard Length so it does
not come into the category of the large pims of the
Brachyplatasoma and Pseudoplatystoma
genera. The shape of the longsnout
and the very long barbels may give it away as a huge
predator but housed with not too small aquarium habitants
it will be very shy and only come out when there is
some tasty morsels on the go.
Platysilurus
mucosus:feeding on prawns
A friend of mine
that lives in the south of England in the U. K. and
keeps large pims shares his experiences here on keeping
Platysilurus
mucosus.
"This
particular fish (above) mostly prefers prawns but
also, chopped mussels, tabimin and would often steal
food of the Corydoras species that reside in the tank.
It was also extremely shy. Possibly the most peaceful
gentile pim that i've ever kept. Loved prawns but
open minded. 8 inch max allegedly, unlikely to survive
in a boisterous competitive tank hence why I kept
them with Cory's and endlers." (Charles
Godfrey 2021).
Distrbution: Amazon and Orinoco River basins Type
locality:
São Antonio de R. Madeira [Brazil]
On a trip to Peru in 2017
we caught a small specimen in the Madre de Dios
river a tributary of the Madeira River near the
Bolivian border which you can see in the image below.
You can see in the image
the very long barbels and the swallow tail shaped
caudal fin.
Platysilurus
mucosus was thought to be a
synonym of Duopalatinus since the single
species of P. barbatus was found to be
a synonym of Duopalatinus goeldii, but
further studyrevealed that P. barbatus
and D. goeldii were synonyms of P.
mucosus (Vaillant, 1880).
South America:
Amazon and Orinoco River basins. Type locality:
São Antonio de R. Madeira [Brazil].
Size
20.0cm. (8ins)
Temp.
22-27°C (71-81°F)
p.H.
6.0-7.2.
Characteristics
The barbels reach up to three
times the length of the body. The head is high and
narrows with a sub-terminal mouth. The maxillary barbels
display a membranous thickening at the base. The fontanel
is large and thin that arrives just before the dorsal
plate, the humeral process is visible.
Colouration
The body colour can be of
brown or grey on the back combined with the ventral
area which is clear in colour. Usually there is
circular spots in the flanks that can vary in amount.
The fins are translucent.
Aquarium
Care & Compatibility
As a so called predator it
will eat very small fish and fry but it has been noted
that they are a very good aquarium inhabitant in a
spacious tank alongside other not too small fish and
conspecifics but can also be very shy. Provide a sand
substrate, hiding places and open areas for it to
swim unimpaired.
Reproduction
Not reported
Sexual
Differences
Not reported
Diet
Prawns but also, chopped mussels,
tablet, pelleted and frozen foods.
Glossary
of Terms
Conspecifics:
Belonging to the same species; individuals or populations
of the same species. Fontanel: The space(s) between the
bones on top of the skull covered by skin. Maxillary: Pertaining to the upper
jaw. (maxillary barbels). Standard Length: Standard
length as measured from the snout to the caudal peduncle.
Sub-terminal:Just
below. Synonym:
Different name for the same fish.
Etymology
Platysilurus:
Greek, platys = flat and from 'silouros',
a kind of river fish. Silurus, sheetfish,
catfish.
References
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. Conservación Internacional;
seris de Guías Tropicales De Campo. Pecos del
medio Amazonas Región de Leticia. 546 p. Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist
of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes),
and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa
1418:1-628.
Grant, Steven.2021 Pims.
Pimelodidae, Heptapteridae and Pseudopimelodidae Catfishes.
ATS-Aquashop.de 2021 219p.
Godfrey, Charles pers comm. 2021.
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