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The Banjo Cat is a rugged looking individual with its lumps and bumps and can not be classed as pretty in the sense of the word, but has a charm all of its own in the catfish world. Its head is very broad and flat with very small eyes, 3 pairs of barbels with the maxillary's reaching to about a third of the length of the strong serrated pectoral spine. Aquarium Care: A sand substrate is best where they can bury themselves for the best part of the daylight hours and only appear at night where they can be seen scurrying across the bottom looking for food. They can propel themselves through the water by taking water into their mouths and then propelling it out of their gills thus causing a burst of speed across the substrate. Reproduction: This is one of the few Banjo's that have been spawned in captivity. The eggs which can boast a total of 4,000 are laid in the sand and would probably be better served if they are removed to a smaller tank or container, and when hatched will need to be fed very fine first foods such as brine shrimp and micro worm, after they have used up their yolk sac. They can then be weaned onto small worm foods such as grindel worm and tubifex. Diet: Adults when settled in their tank are not fussy feeders and can be fed a healthy diet of worm foods such as frozen bloodworm and tubifex and also tablet food at lights out. Etymology: The genus name Bunocephalus: buno-, mound or knob; cephalus, head, referring to rounded cusps or bumps on head. The specific name coracoideus: like a raven, black.

Banjo Cat

Bunocephalus bicolor, Dysichthys bicolor, Dysichthys coracoideus, Bunocephalus haggini

Aspredinidae

South America: Amazon River basin of Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru. Type locality: Nauta, Peru.

13.0cm. (5ins)

22-26°c (70-79°f.)

ScotCat Factsheet no. 87. Sept. 2003.