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Mark Henry Sabaj (1) Sandra J. Raredon (3)

Habitat: Diurnal species found in turbid and somewhat deep waters of rivers and swamps and marshes. Usually found amongst submerged tree trunks and is a carnivore. Reproduction: The spiny structure of the pectoral fins enables the male to hold the females during mating (internal fertilisation). Sperm can be kept in the female's genital tract for several months, owing to a gelatinous emission from the seminal vesicle of the male. At maturity, the size of the adhesive eggs (20% of the female's weight) is 3 mm. Nine days after hatching, alevin size is 1.5 cm and they feed on microscopic worms or small insects. At around 11 days, their negative phototropism pushes them to hide themselves under branches or rocks. Aquarium Care: As with most species in this family they need hiding places such as pipes/caves where they will reside most of the day. Will come out at night to prowl so smaller fishes will be looked upon as prey. Diet: In its natural habitat the adults feed on small fishes, arthropods, worms and sometimes on fruits. In the aquaria most prepared foods such as tablet and pellet and frozen foods such as bloodworm. If the aquarium is dimly lit you can see the it coming out to feed. Etymology: The genus name Trachelyopterus: meaning trachelos, neck; pterus, fin, presumably referring to the elevated nape of T. coriaceus, which gives the appearance that dorsal fin originates at the neck region. The specific name peloichthys: pelos, mud, “living in very muddy bottoms with much vegetable debris”; ichthys, fish.

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Trachycorystes insignis peloichthys

Auchenipteridae

South America: Maracaibo River basin, Venezuela and Colombia. Type locality: Río Agua Caliente, 2 to 3 km above Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela.

18.0cm. (7ins)

22-25°c (71-77°f.)

6.5-7.5.

Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628.
Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2003. Auchenipteridae (Driftwood catfishes). p. 470-482. In R.E. Reis, S.O. Kullander and C.J. Ferraris, Jr. (eds.) Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, Brasil.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 10/2018 ).
Global Biodiversity Information Facility. www.gbif.org/species/2344678.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.