Description:
Has no teeth in its jaws but possesses many long gill
rakers that are used as a sieve for feeding on planktonic
crustaceans like cladocerans, copepods and ostracods.
Also feeds on debris, and other plankton. Appears
to follow the plankton's vertical movements during
the day. Habitat: Pelagic species
which lives in schools near the surface of the water.
Found over soft muddy bottoms. Juveniles inhabit the
lower part of streams in estuaries, and adults are
found more upstream. Reproduction:
Ovaries start to develop in November when the water
level rises. Fractional spawning occurs between February
and April. The female lays down 50,000 to 100,000
eggs according to its weight. Remarks:
Because they are a filter feeder they are not really
suitable for the home aquarium (Grant, Steven 2021).
Common
Name:
Highwaterman Catfish
Synonyms:
None
Family:
Pimelodidae
Distribution:
South America:
Chipiri River, Mamore Drainage, Bolivia.
Hypophthalmus sp. 'Rio Mamore' Chipiri River, Mamore Drainage, Bolivia
If you would like to contribute to the monthly
factsheets with an article, information or photos, please e-mail
me. You will of course be credited for your work.
If you would like to donate any denomination
of monies to the site just click the above link button. All proceeds
will go to running the site and hopefully to keep it going for a few
years yet.