Firewood catfish

Firewood catfish
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Pimelodidae
Genus: Sorubimichthys
Bleeker, 1862
Species: S. planiceps
Binomial name
Sorubimichthys planiceps
(Spix & Agassiz, 1829)
Synonyms
  • Sorubim jandia
    Spix, 1829
  • Sorubim Pirauáca
    Spix & Agassiz, 1829
  • Platystoma planiceps
    Spix & Agassiz, 1829
  • Platystoma spatula
    Spix & Agassiz, 1829
  • Sorubimichthys spatula
    (Spix & Agassiz, 1829)
  • Sorubimichthys ortoni
    Gill, 1870
  • Pteroglanis manni
    Eigenmann & Pearson, 1924

The firewood catfish, Sorubimichthys planiceps, a species of South American pimelodid catfish, is the sole member of the genus Sorubimichthys. Known by locals along the Amazon Basin as peixe-lenha,[1] the firewood catfish is so called because it is of little eating value and is often dried and used for firewood.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Firewood catfish occur in the Orinoco and Amazon Basins.[3] It is normally found in whitewater high in suspended sediments.[4]

Appearance and anatomy

This species attains about 150 cm (59 in) in standard length.[3]

These fish change in appearance as they grow.[5] In adults, the upper jaw is extremely long, about one-third the length of the snout.[5] The dorsum is ash-gray with darker spots. The sides have a white band, bordered below by a dark gray or brown band. The venter is usually white with some large spots. The dorsal fin and adipose fin are spotted.[5] However, in juveniles, the snout is short and the pectoral fins are large and rounded. The white band does not appear until the fish is about 40 0m (1.6 in). The full adult color pattern and fin shapes appear by at least 20 cm (8 in).[5]

Ecology

This fish is mainly nocturnal.[3] Firewood catfish are highly predatory and feed on other fish.[4]

References

  1. The Catfish Connection-Ronaldo Barthem and Michael Goulding pg. 38
  2. Sorubimichthys planiceps (Spix & Agassiz, 1829)
  3. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). "Sorubimichthys planiceps" in FishBase. February 2012 version.
  4. 1 2 "PlanetCatfish::Cat-eLog::Pimelodidae::Sorubimichthys planiceps". 2006-02-09. Retrieved 2007-05-15.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Lundberg, John G.; Nass, Pedro; Mago-Leccia, Francisco (1989). "Pteroglanis manni Eigenmann and Pearson, a Juvenile of Sorubimichthys planiceps (Agassiz), with a Review of the Nominal Species of Sorubimichthys (Pisces: Pimelodidae)". Copeia (Copeia, Vol. 1989, No. 2) 1989 (2): 332–344. doi:10.2307/1445429. JSTOR 1445429.
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