Aspredinidae

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Banjo catfishes
Platystacus cotylephorus - Peitschenwels.jpg
Platystacus cotylephorus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Aspredinidae
A. Adams, 1854
Subfamilies and genera [1]

Subfamily Aspredininae
   Amaralia
   Aspredinichthys
   Aspredo
   Bunocephalus
   Platystacus
   Pterobunocephalus
   Xyliphius
Subfamily Hoplomyzontinae
   Dupouyichthys
   Ernstichthys
   Hoplomyzon
   Micromyzon
Subfamily Pseudobunocephalinae
   Acanthobunocephalus
   Pseudobunocephalus

Contents

The Aspredinidae are a small South American family of catfishes (order Siluriformes) also known as the banjo catfishes, [2] with about 43 species.

Distribution

Aspredinids are found throughout the major tropical rivers of South America (e.g., Magdalena, Orinoco, Amazon, São Francisco, Paraguay-Paraná, and Uruguay). [3] Bunocephalus is the only genus found in rivers west of the Andes including the Atrato, San Juan, and Patía Rivers. [4]

Taxonomy

Of the 13 genera in the family Aspredinidae, [3] a few genera have been described relatively recently, including Acanthobunocephalus in 1995, Micromyzon in 1996, and Pseudobunocephalus in 2008. [3] [5] [6] These genera are categorized into three subfamilies. [2] [7]

The Aspredinidae are often recognized as a part of the primarily Asian superfamily Sisoroidea as the sister group to the family Erethistidae. [2] However, other authors find that they are sister to the superfamily Doradoidea, which includes Doradidae, Auchenipteridae, and perhaps Mochokidae. [4] [8]

Description

The common name of the family "banjo catfishes" refers to their overall body shape, with a depressed head and slender caudal peduncle, that in some species gives the appearance of a banjo. [4] Banjo catfishes lack an adipose fin. Most species lack the dorsal spine-locking mechanism. [2] Though their bodies are scaleless, their skin is completely keratinized and is covered by large, unculiferous tubercles arranged in longitudinal rows; the entire outer layer of skin may be shed. [2] [4] Size ranges from less than 2.0 centimetres (0.79 inches) SL in Hoplomyzon papillatus to Aspredo aspredo at about 38 centimetres (15 inches) SL, though most are less than 15 cm. [2] [4] Most species exhibit cryptic coloration. [4] Aspredinids have a loss of alarm cells and the fright reaction that is present in other ostariophysans. [4]

Sexual dimorphism is exhibited in most species in that mature females are typically larger than males; this is, however, reversed in Hoplomyzon sexpapilostoma . Also, in Aspredo and Platystacus the dorsal fin spine is much longer in males than in females. [4]

Ecology

Aspredinids live in a variety of habitats ranging from shallow backwaters to deep river channels to tidal estuaries. Some aspredinids appear to be semifossorial, during the day often resting slightly buried in leaf litter or other soft substrates. [3] Members of the subfamily Aspredininae inhabit coastal rivers and brackish water habitats such as mangrove swamps. [9] [10]

In general, most species are cryptically pigmented, benthic, and rather sluggish unless disturbed. [3] Like most fish, they are able to swim by undulating their bodies; however, they also propel themselves by pumping water through their gill openings to skip along the substrate. [4] Some species are able to produce sounds by moving their pectoral fin spines back and forth when they are agitated. [4] Most aspredinids are generalized omnivores that feed on aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates and organic debris; however, members of Amaralia appear to specialize in feeding on the eggs of other catfishes. [4]

A peculiarity of the catfishes in the subfamily Aspredininae is that after the female's eggs are fertilised by the male, she attaches them to her belly and carries them to shallow water to hatch. [9] In Pterobunocephalus, the eggs are directly attached to the body, while in the other three genera of the subfamily, the eggs are attached to cotylephores, which are fleshy stalks that develop seasonally on the underside of the body that may function in exchange of materials between the mother and her developing embryos. [4] Because these catfish live in muddy environments, this behaviour has been hypothesised to give the eggs better access to oxygenated water. [11]

Accounts of reproduction in Bunocephalus vary; some sources state that they are egg-scatterers without any parental care, while others note them to build a depression for a nest and guard the eggs. [4]

In the aquarium

A few banjo catfishes are kept as aquarium fish, predominantly the smaller members of the subfamily Aspredininae. Their requirements are similar to those of other tropical South American fish, preferring slightly acidic, not too hard water maintained at 20–25 °C (68–77 °F). [9] Since these species are nocturnal burrowers, they need an aquarium with a soft, sandy substrate into which they hide during the daytime and forage in at night. Sharp sand or coarse gravel will damage their whiskers. Although not schooling fish, they are tolerant of their own kind and also get along with other small aquarium species. [12]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Callichthyidae</span> Family of fishes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pimelodidae</span> Family of fishes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariidae</span> Family of fishes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erethistidae</span> Family of fishes

Erethistidae are a family of catfishes that originate from southern Asia. It includes about 45 species.

<i>Callichthys callichthys</i> Species of fish

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<i>Brachyplatystoma</i> Genus of fishes

Brachyplatystoma is a genus of catfish from the family Pimelodidae. As the occasionally used common name goliath catfishes indicates, this genus includes some of the largest species of catfish, including the piraíba, B. filamentosum, which reaches up to the region of 3.6 metres (12 ft) in length. Brachyplatystoma are found in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, and other tropical freshwater and brackish habitats in South America. Some species are migratory. These fish are important as food fish and, to some extent, aquarium fish.

<i>Hemiancistrus</i> Genus of fishes

Hemiancistrus is a genus of suckermouth armored catfishes. These species are native to South America. The taxonomy of this genus is complex and unclear, and major work has to be done. Many of these fish are popular aquarium fish.

Acanthobunocephalus nicoi is one of two species of catfish in the genus Acanthobunocephalus of the family Aspredinidae. This species is known from only three localities and appears to be restricted to the upper Orinoco River system of Venezuela and possibly the upper Rio Negro system of Brazil.

<i>Platystacus cotylephorus</i> Species of fish

Platystacus cotylephorus, the banded banjo, is a species of banjo catfish. It is the only member of its genus. The genus Platystacus is the sister group to a clade containing Aspredo and Aspredinichthys. P. cotylephorus originates from coastal waters and lower portions of rivers of northern South America, from Venezuela to northern Brazil.

Aspredinichthys is a genus of banjo catfishes found in fresh and brackish waters in tropical South America from the Orinoco delta, through the Guianas, to the Amazon delta. Both species are found in lower portions of rivers and in coastal waters of northern South America from Venezuela to northern Brazil where they are benthic fish.

Pterobunocephalus is a genus of banjo catfishes found in tropical South America.

Hoplomyzon is a genus of banjo catfishes that are native to tropical South America.

Xyliphius is a genus of banjo catfishes from South America.

Micromyzon akamai is a species of catfish in the family Aspredinidae.

Micromyzon is a genus of tiny catfish in the family Aspredinidae native to relatively deep parts of the Amazon and Orinoco basins in South America.

<i>Bunocephalus</i> Genus of fishes

Bunocephalus is a genus of banjo catfishes from South America. It is found in Magdalena, Orinoco, Amazon, Paraguay-Paraná, and São Francisco Rivers. It is also the only aspredinid genus found west of the Andes, found in the Atrato, San Juan, and Patía Rivers. This genus is a part of the family Aspredinidae, known as banjo catfishes for their large, flattened heads and slender tails that give the appearance of a banjo. Most species exhibit cryptic coloration, and the same holds true among Bunocephalus species. The skin is completely keratinized and is covered by large, unculiferous tubercles. Bunocephalus species may reach up to 13 centimetres SL.

<i>Pseudobunocephalus</i> Genus of fishes

Pseudobunocephalus is a genus of banjo catfishes.

Amaralia hypsiura is a species of catfish of the family Aspredinidae. A. hypsiura are found throughout the Amazon River basin. They are medium-sized aspredinids. These fish have a deep, laterally compressed caudal peduncle, a reduced dorsal fin with only 2–3 rays, and well-developed head ornamentation.

Micromyzon orinoco is a species of catfish in the family Aspredinidae.

References

  1. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2024). "Aspredinidae" in FishBase. January 2024 version.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World . John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN   0-471-25031-7.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Friel, John P. (2008). "Pseudobunocephalus, a new genus of banjo catfish with the description of a new species from the Orinoco River system of Colombia and Venezuela (Siluriformes: Aspredinidae)". Neotropical Ichthyology. 6 (3): 293–300. doi: 10.1590/S1679-62252008000300001 .
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Friel, John Patrick (1994-12-13). "A Phylogenetic Study of the Neotropical Banjo Catfishes (Teleostei: Siluriformes: Aspredinidae)" (PDF). Duke University, Durham, NC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-08-07.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. Friel, J (1995). "Acanthobunocephalus nicoi, a new genus and species of miniature banjo-catfish from the upper Orinoco and Casiquiare Rivers, Venezuela. (Siluriformes: Aspredinidae)". Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. 6 (1): 89–95.
  6. Friel, John P.; Lundberg, John G. (Aug 1, 1996). "Micromyzon akamai, Gen. et Sp. Nov., a Small and Eyeless Banjo Catfish (Siluriformes: Aspredinidae) from the River Channels of the Lower Amazon Basin". Copeia . 1996 (3): 641–648. doi:10.2307/1447528. JSTOR   1447528.
  7. Ferraris, Carl J. Jr. (2007). "Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types" (PDF). Zootaxa . 1418: 1–628. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1418.1.1 . Retrieved 2009-06-24.
  8. Sullivan, JP; Lundberg JG; Hardman M (2006). "A phylogenetic analysis of the major groups of catfishes (Teleostei: Siluriformes) using rag1 and rag2 nuclear gene sequences". Mol Phylogenet Evol. 41 (3): 636–62. Bibcode:2006MolPE..41..636S. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.05.044. PMID   16876440.
  9. 1 2 3 Sands D.: South American Catfishes, Interpet 1988, ISBN   0-86101-348-4
  10. Monks N. (editor): Brackish Water Fishes, TFH 2006, ISBN   0-7938-0564-3
  11. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2007). "Platystacus cotylephorus" in FishBase . Aug 2007 version.
  12. Editore, Arnoldo. Freshwater and Marine Aquarium Fishes. New York: Simon and Schuster 1976, ISBN   0-671-22809-9