Habitat: Occurs
in littoral creeks, over sandy bottoms covered with
dead leaves. Inhabits also lakes and rivers, but seems
to prefer rivers with a very slight current. Prefers
a muddy bottom covered with leaves and decaying wood,
the latter providing for hiding places during the
day. Mainly nocturnal. Reproduction:
Its sex ratio is 2:1 in favor of females. The male's
reproductive apparatus includes multi-lobed testicles
and accessory organs for secretion and storage. Fertilisation
is external. Non-sticking demersal eggs (1.1 to 2.8
mm diameter) are laid down, hatching after about 48
hours at 22°C. Ten days later, the larvae weigh
approximately 100 mg but growth is slow (0.5 to 1.15
g per day). Aquarium Care: In the
aquarium you should treat this species as you would
any "Pim" and house them with tank mates
that are the same size or larger and who occupy a
different layer of the tank be it mid water or top.
Provide plenty of hideing places if you intend to
keep more than one individual. Diet:
Feeds on fish and insects, benthic zooplankton and
crustaceans. Omnivorous. In aquria not fussy so should
be fed the usual aquarium foods such as flake, tablets,
pellets, frozen and live food. Provide a varied diet.
Remarks:
Possesses poisonous spiny rays.
Central and South America:Mexico to central Argentina. Type
locality: Peru, Depto Loreto, right bank
quebradita tributary to R. Samiria between Caño
Pastos and Hamburgo.
Size:
35.0cm (15ins)
Temp:
24-26°C (75-79°F)
p.H.
6.0-7.0.
Reference:
Ferraris, C.J. Jr.,
2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes:
Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary
types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628. Froese, R. and D. Pauly.
Editors. 2009. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic
publication. www.fishbase.org, version (05/2009).
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