Centromochlus perugiae
Steindachner, 1882 |
his is one of the most striking members
of what we call in the hobby, 'Driftwood Cats'. There are a few
different body markings in this species and they have been arriving
in the aquatic outlets in the U.K. now over the last year. (2001)
'Driftwood Cats' being as they are, are
very secretive and if you want to see your fish in a community
setup these catfish are not for you, but in saying that they are
inoffensive and as long as you haven't small fry in the aquarium
you can keep them with medium sized fish. You can of course enjoy
them at dusk when the lights are off in your tank and your room
lights are dimmed. I have had success in bringing this species
out when the tank light is on, how do I do that? with frozen bloodworm
and it is a treat to see them circling around the bottom hoovering
them up until they get so bloated they just sit motionless for
what seems like ages, taking a rest to get their breath back!.
These little catfish inhabit large rivers where the water is swift,
preferring littoral zones adjacent to the shoreline over hard,
sandy bottoms devoid of vegetation.
The anal fin is the key to the sexual dimorphism of this genus,
if you think of the male and female of most livebearer fish (Goodeidae
family) and you won't be too far away with this assumption.
As you can see above, the female has
a normal anal fin but the males are modified into a copulatory organ
with the first and second ray thickened and longer, it is thought
that the male uses this to clasp the female during the spawning
embrace.
Body naked and relatively short head. Surface
of head and the nuchal region (except the orbits and the interorbital
fontanel) are covered with bony plates.The nuchal plate extends
to and beyond the base of the dorsal fin spine, and the horns of
the nuchal plate are curved downward and outward. The eyes are moderately
large and are covered with skin.
Whitish base colour with black irregular reticulated
pattern. All fins clear.
Keeping this species is not too much of a
problem as long as the water is kept clean and not too alkaline
with a p.H.of between 6.5 and 7.0. They do like a planted aquarium
where they like to hide during the day. They also make a good show
fish if showing your fish at shows is your forte, as they usually
deport well in a show tank.
Internal fertilisation with the eggs deposited
24-48 hours later. Also a report on Tatia creutzbergi, (Tatia
gyrina)with them placing their adhesive eggs on the underside
of wood with no broodcare after the event. A few members of the
Auchenipteridae family have been spawned in the hobby with
a successful breeding and raising of the young of Trachelyichthys
decaradiatus by Dick Thompson, a former member of The Northern
Area Catfish Group (now Catfish
Study Group U.K.)
In its native habitat they feed on insects,
mostly ants, beetles, and mayflies and in the aquarium they will
eat anything given such as frozen bloodworm which they will come
out of hiding to feed on, catfish tablets, daphnia, white worm (sparingly)
and any other worm-like foods.
| Etymology |
Centromochlus:
From the Greek kenteo, meaning sting and mochlos, meaning
lever or crowbar; in reference to the long spines.
perugiae:
named after Albert Perugia, an Ichthyologist from Triest.
|
| References |
Riehl, Baensch.
Aquarium Atlas Photo Index 1-5
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2002. FishBase.World Wide
Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org,
15 August 2002
Burgess, W.E., 1989. An atlas of freshwater and marine catfishes:
a preliminary survey of the Siluriformes.. T.F.H. Publications,
Neptune City, New Jersey.
Sarmento-Soares, Luisa Maria;
Martins-Pinheiro, Ronaldo Fernando
A systematic revision of Tatia (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae:
Centromochlinae) Neotropical Ichthyology, 6(3):495- 542, 2008
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| Synonyms:
|
| Tatia perugiae. |
| Common
Name: |
| Perugia's Woodcat |
| Family: |
| Auchenipteridae |
| Subfamily: |
| Centromochlinae |
| Distribution: |
Colombia.
Ecuador.
 Peru |
| Size: |
| 7.5cm (3ins) |
| Temp: |
| 26-28c (79-83f ) |
| pH.: |
| 6.5 - 7.5. |
| Donation: |
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