Description:
Dorsal spines (total): 2; Dorsal soft rays (total):
4-5; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9 - 12; Vertebrae:
36 - 38. This species is generally more pallid and
less conspicuously marked than other species of Zaireichthys.
It differs from Zaireichthys conspicuus,
Z. kunenensis, Z. lacustris and
Z. maravensis in possessing a narrow premaxillary
tooth patch, less than 40% of the mouth width; from
Z. monomotapa by the smaller number of rays
in the dorsal fin, 4-5 soft rays vs. 5-6), pectoral
fins, 5-7 vs. 7-8, and caudal fin, 9-13 vs. 14-16;
from Z. kavangoensis in colour pattern. Habitat:
Found in shallow water with a sandy bottom where it
buries itself. It feeds on small invertebrates, including
mayfly nymphs and caddis fly larvae. Colouration:
In life almost transparent, preserved usually very
pale yellow, with a few minute black spots scattered
irregularly over the body. A few specimens are darker,
but rarely show a definite pattern except for a series
of darker patches along the back, the first at the
base of the dorsal, and an irregular darker line mid-laterally.
The dark individuals can be readily distinguished
from the other members of the genus by the shape of
the melanophores, which are unusually large and rectangular
in shape. Etymology: Named for its
very pale colouration.
Common
Name:
Pale sand catlet
Synonyms:
None
Family:
Amphiliidae
Distribution:
Africa:
Known
only from the Upper Zambezi up to and including the
Barotse Floodplain in Zambia (Tweddle et al., 2004),
and the Chobe and Kwando rivers, in the area of the
Eastern Caprivi, Namibia.
Size:
2.5cm. (1ins)
Temp:
22-25°c
(71-77°f.)
p.H.
6.5-7.2.
Reference:
Eccles, D.H., D. Tweddle
and P.H. Skelton, 2011.
Eight new species in the dwarf catfish genus Zaireichthys
(Siluriformes: Amphiliidae). Smithiana Bull. (13):3-28.
Zaireichthys pallidus From the Chobe Rapids at the recreational
Centre in Kasane, Botswana
Zaireichthys
pallidus From the Chobe Rapids at the recreational
Centre in Kasane, Botswana
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