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Ben Lee (4) Wolfgang Ros (3)

Aquarium Care: This of course is a predator which needs plenty of hiding places such as pipes and caves, as they like to hide during the day. The tank should be moderately lit with floating plants to keep the light down. A gravel substrate is recomended. Generally the genus Cephalosilurus is considered as very territorial, this particularly applies to the intra species aggressiveness. C. apurensis does not defend acrimoniously its own quiescent place, but also the surrounding area. Weaker species in the same tank are tormented for a long time until they perish due to bite injuries and the continuing stress situation. Even in very large aquariums therefore the socialisation with other species, in addition with other Cephalosilurus species is not possible. Diet: Will only eat live foods when first introduced to the aquarium but can be weaned off this and fed with shrimps, worms, thawed out smelt, fillets of fish and tablet foods. Update Dec. 2021: (Shibatta, Oscar A. et al, Abstract) Lophiosilurus is a monotypic genus represented by L. alexandri, a species endemic to the São Francisco river basin, Brazil. In previous phylogenetic analyses, the genus has been recovered as the sister group of Cephalosilurus. However, few species of Cephalosilurus or few characters were included in those studies. Thus, the current study aims to test the monophyletic hypothesis of the genera Lophiosilurus and Cephalosilurus with a more comprehensive phylogenetic analysis, including all Cephalosilurus species and a representative number of characters. Phylogenetic analyses of 18 terminal taxa (15 ingroups and three outgroups) were conducted based on a combined 75 character matrix, including 70 discrete morphological characters concerning osteology and neuroanatomy, four continuous characters, and the geometric morphometry of the head. The monophyly of the family Pseudopimelodidae was highly supported, and Cephalosilurus is synonymized with Lophiosilurus. The recovered phylogeny of the genus was (L. albomarginatus , L. nigricaudus, L. apurensis, L. fowleri, and L. alexandri). Remarks: Lophiosilurus apurensis is still found on some online searches as Cephalosilurus apurensis.

Jelly Cat

Pseudopimelodus apurensis, Cephalosilurus apurensis.

Pseudopimelodidae

South America: Rio Arichuna, Apure, Venezuela.

29.0cm. (11¾ins)

23-25°C (73-77°F)

6.5-7.5.

Oscar A. Shibatta, Lucas R. Jarduli, Vitor P. Abrahão & Lenice Souza-Shibatta. (2021). Phylogeny of the Neotropical Pacman catfish genus Lophiosilurus (Siluriformes: Pseudopimelodidae). Neotrop. ichthyol., 19 (4).
Ros, Christopher & Ros, Wolfgang (2007): Cephalosilurus apurensis - Ein gefräßiger  Lauerräuber, aber nicht ohne Charme, in: „Die Aquarien- und Terrarienzeitschrift“ (Datz) 60 (5): 38-42.
ScotCat Article: Cephalosilurus apurensis - a voracious ambushing predator but not without charm