Agamyxis

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Agamyxis
Agamyxis.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Doradidae
Subfamily: Doradinae
Genus:Agamyxis
Cope, 1878
Type species
Doras pectinifrons
Cope, 1870

Agamyxis is a genus of thorny catfishes.

Species

There are currently two recognized species in this genus: [1]

Contents

Agamyxis albomaculatus is an omnivorous species of thorny catfish endemic to the Orinoco River in Venezuela. This species grows to a length of 15 centimetres (5.9 in) SL. This species is found in the aquarium trade, but is less frequent than the similar and closely relative Agamyxis pectinifrons. Although the common name spotted raphael catfish most often refers to that species, it is occasionally used for Agamyxis albomaculatus.

Wilhelm Peters German naturalist and explorer

Wilhelm Karl HartwichPeters was a German naturalist and explorer.

<i>Agamyxis pectinifrons</i> species of fish

Agamyxis pectinifrons, the spotted talking catfish, spotted raphael catfish or whitebarred catfish, is a species of thorny catfish found in the Amazon basin where it has been recorded from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru. This species grows to a length of 15 centimetres (5.9 in) SL.

Distribution

This genus is found in tropical South America.

Description

Both species reach about 15 centimetres (6 in) SL. [1] These species both appear very similar; A. albomaculatus might be slimmer, have more spots and a different pattern on its caudal fin. [2]

Fish measurement is the measuring of the length of individual fish and of various parts of their anatomy. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology.

Ecology

These catfish are able to make sounds by grinding their pectoral fin bones against their shoulder bones. [2] They can live for 17 years. [2]

In the aquarium

Both species in this genus are popular in the aquarium trade.

Aquarium transparent tank of water for fish and water-dwelling species

An aquarium is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquatic reptiles such as turtles, and aquatic plants. The term "aquarium", coined by English naturalist Philip Henry Gosse, combines the Latin root aqua, meaning water, with the suffix -arium, meaning "a place for relating to". The aquarium principle was fully developed in 1850 by the chemist Robert Warington, who explained that plants added to water in a container would give off enough oxygen to support animals, so long as the numbers of animals did not grow too large. The aquarium craze was launched in early Victorian England by Gosse, who created and stocked the first public aquarium at the London Zoo in 1853, and published the first manual, The Aquarium: An Unveiling of the Wonders of the Deep Sea in 1854. An aquarium is a water-filled tank in which fish swim about. Small aquariums are kept in the home by hobbyists. There are larger public aquariums in many cities. This kind of aquarium is a building with fish and other aquatic animals in large tanks. A large aquarium may have otters, turtles, dolphins, and other sea animals. Most aquarium tanks also have plants.

See also

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<i>Neoarius berneyi</i> species of fish

Neoarius berneyi, the highfin catfish, Berney's catfish, Berney's shark catfish, or the lesser salmon catfish, is a freshwater sea catfish that is commonly kept in aquariums. The origin of the name Neoarius berneyi is Greek, with the genus name Neoarius coming from the words neos meaning new and arios, meaning warlike or hostile, in reference to the well developed fin spines, and the species name, berneyi, comes from the ornithologist F. L. Berney.

References

  1. 1 2 Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2011). Species of Agamyxis in FishBase . December 2011 version.
  2. 1 2 3 "Agamyxis pectinifrons (Cope, 1870)". 2006-04-17. Retrieved 2007-06-16.