Edit Ageneiosus ucayalensis
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Name
Scientific name
Ageneiosus ucayalensis
Described by
Authority Castelnau, Year 1855
Family
Auchenipteridae
Common names
Duck Catfish
Photograph credits
All 2 credited
Summary
The duck catfish, Ageneiosus ucayalensis, is an auchenipterid catfish described from Peru and recorded across the Amazon, Orinoco and Guian…
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
290mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Minimum length 180 cm, Minimum depth 60 cm
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 22.5–28°C, pH 5.5–7.5
Hardness
1–20dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Not recorded
Social needs
Not recorded
Community suitability
Not recorded
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, Amazon, Barama, Casiquiare, Corantijn, Courantyne, Cuyuni, Essequibo, Mazaruni, Negro, Orinoco, Pará, Paraná, Parnaíba, Solimões, Tapajós, Ucayali
Writing
Etymology
Ageneiosus: from the Greek á- (Gr. ἄ), meaning 'not, without' and géneion (Gr. γένειον), meaning 'chin, beard', probably in reference to the very short maxilla…
Distribution
Described from the Río Ucayali in Peru but subsequently recorded across a large geographic area. Records currently exist from Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, …
Habitat
Given its enormous natural range this species is likely to be something of a habitat generalist, but most records we've seen pertain to middle and lower sectio…
Aquarium size
Minimum base dimensions of 180 ∗ 60 cm are required for long-term care since this is an active species that can sometimes act skittishly and easily acquire inj…
Maintenance
Likely to prefer dim lighting and access to refuges in the form of driftwood, large rocks or lengths of plastic piping. An enormous filtration system and dedic…
Water conditions
Not written yet
Diet
Larger Ageneiosus spp. are obligate carnivores by nature feeding on invertebrates and other fishes, and capable of consuming surprisingly large prey. Newly-imp…
Behaviour and compatibility
This species is capable of consuming large prey items and is likely to be safe only alongside similarly-sized catfishes or pelagic characins such as Brycon, Co…
Sexual dimorphism
Adult males of Ageneiosus spp. all display marked, seasonal, sexual modifications, with the area between head and dorsal fin origin (nuchal region) exhibiting …
Reproduction
Unrecorded in aquaria although some brief reports of apparent courtship behaviour in the congener A. marmoratus do exist. What is known is that fertilisation o…
Notes
Apparently this species is polymorphic with body patterning varying significantly depending on locality. Individuals collected from black water habitats tend t…
References
References
7 on this profile