Edit Acanthodoras spinosissimus

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Name

Scientific name

Acanthodoras spinosissimus

Described by

Authority Eigenmann & Eigenmann, Year 1888, Bracketed

Family

Doradidae

Common names

Chocolate Talking Catfish, Chocolate Raphael, Gestreifter Dornwels

Photograph credits

All 5 credited

Summary

The chocolate talking catfish, Acanthodoras spinosissimus, is a doradid catfish from the northern Amazon basin and the Essequibo in Guyana.…

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

137mm, standard length

Aquarium size

Minimum length 120 cm, Minimum depth 30 cm

Water

Water conditions

Temperature 22–26°C, pH 6–7.5

Hardness

4–25dGH

Conductivity

Not recorded

Behaviour

Temperament

Peaceful

Community suitability

Not recorded

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Peru, Amazon, Branco, Essequibo, Nanay, Negro, Solimões

Writing

Etymology

Acanthodoras: from the Greek ákantha (Gr. ἄκανθα), meaning 'thorn,' probably in reference to the presence of spines on the body of type species A. cataphractus…

Distribution

Described from Lago do Coari (Lake Coari) on the rio Solimões at Coari, Amazonas state, northwestern Brazil and subsequently recorded throughout much of the no…

Habitat

Slow-moving and standing waters including tributaries, backwaters, freshwater swamps and coastal mangroves where it's typically found sheltering among roots or…

Aquarium size

Base dimensions of at least 120 ∗ 30 cm are recommended.

Maintenance

Best maintained in a dimly-lit set-up with a soft, sandy substrate and plenty of cover in the form of aquatic vegetation, tangles of driftwood or artificial ca…

Water conditions

Not written yet

Diet

This species is an omnivorous generalist and will accept most commonly-encountered prepared and frozen foods. A varied diet comprising good quality, dried, sin…

Behaviour and compatibility

Non-aggressive though adult individuals may consume very small fishes. It makes an excellent addition to a medium-to-large-sized community of Amazonian species…

Sexual dimorphism

Mature females tend to be noticeably fuller-bodied than males.

Reproduction

Very little information seems to exist but apparently the congener A. cataphractus forms pair bonds with reports suggesting that both male and female are invol…

Notes

This species, which may also be referred to by the alternative vernacular names 'spiny catfish', 'painted talking catfish' or 'chocolate raphael', isn't partic…

This species, which may also be referred to by the alternative vernacular names 'spiny catfish', 'painted talking catfish' or 'chocolate raphael', isn't particularly common in the trade and most often exported only as bycatch among shipments of Platydoras armatulus. It appears very similar to A. cataphractus with the most useful external distinguishing character being the presence of pale blotches on the dorsal surface, between the dorsal and caudal fins, in A. spinosissimus versus pale lines or no markings at all in A. cataphractus. Both species are sold under the same trade names.

Members of the family Doradidae can be distinguished from all other Siluriformes by possession of a unique infranuchal scute, a dermal bone consisting of an elongate plate formed by expansion of a ligament located between the posterior nuchal plate and the rib on the sixth vertebra. This feature is associated with the lateral line canal and represents the first in a series of prominent midlateral scutes exhibited by most doradids. There are two major lineages recognised within the family, one with simple barbels and a comparatively flattened head, the other with fimbriate barbels and a relatively deep head.

Within the order Siluriformes doradids are most closely related to the family Auchenipteridae, most commonly referred to as 'driftwood' catfishes by aquarists, and these two were grouped together in the superfamily Doradoidea by Sullivan et al. (2006). In their molecular phylogenetic analysis Doradoidea appeared to form a sister group pairing with the family Aspredinidae (banjo catfishes) with this constituting a significant departure from earlier hypotheses in which the African family Mochokidae and Asian Sisoridae were assumed to be most closely-associated with doradids and aspredinids, respectively. The authors stopped short of naming this putative Aspredinidae-Doradoidea clade, for the time being at least, ostensibly because certain prominent theories of fish biogeography would require substantial re-assessment if it were accepted.

Doradids are often referred to collectively as 'talking catfishes' in reference to the fact that many of them are able to produce audible sounds. In some genera (e.g. Acanthodoras, Agamyxis) these are produced via stridulation of the pectoral spines within their sockets, with the pelvic girdle possibly involved in projection of the resultant noise. The 'elastic-spring apparatus' is also used to produce sound, this comprising a highly-specialised arrangement of the parapophyses of the fourth vertebrae, the swim bladder plus associated muscles and ligaments.

Take care when netting doradids for any reason since the pectoral fin spines and body scutes easily become entangled in the mesh of standard aquarium nets and can break human skin in many cases.

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References

8 on this profile

Name

Scientific name

Described by

Family

Common names

Photograph credits

Summary

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

Aquarium size

Water

Water conditions

Hardness

Conductivity

Behaviour

Temperament

Social needs

Community suitability

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

Writing

Etymology

Distribution

Habitat

Aquarium size

Maintenance

Water conditions

Diet

Behaviour and compatibility

Sexual dimorphism

Reproduction

Notes

References

References