Habitat: Found
in coastal brackish (mangroves) waters and coastal
rivers in South America from Venezuela to Brazil including
the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. Lives in
brackish water on river estuaries, mainly in shallow
water on muddy bottom substrates. Reproduction:
This species practices an unusual method of incubation
of the eggs, attaching them to the underside of the
female who then carries them around. Female develops
spongy tentacles on her belly during the breeding
season and incubates her eggs by carrying them about
attached to these tentacles. Aquarium Care:
Not seen very often in the hobby, but the requirements
for keeping this species would need to include some
addition of salt in the water. Remarks:
Gets its common name of Tenbarbled Banjo due to the
9-10 pairs of mental and postmental barbels.
Common
Name:
Tenbarbed Banjo
Synonyms:
Aspredo tibicen
Family:
Aspredinidae
Distribution:
Central and South America:
Lower portions of rivers and in coastal waters of
northern South America from Venezuela to northern
Brazil. Type locality: Surinam.
Size:
21.0cm. (8¼ins)
Temp:
22-24°C (71-75°f.)
p.H.
7.0-8.0.
Reference:
Cervigón, F.,
R. Cipriani, W. Fischer, L. Garibaldi, M. Hendrickx,
A.J. Lemus, R. Márquez, J.M. Poutiers, G. Robaina
and B. Rodriguez,
1992. Fichas FAO de identificación de especies
para los fines de la pesca. Guía de campo de
las especies comerciales marinas y de aquas salobres
de la costa septentrional de Sur América. FAO,
Rome. 513 p. Preparado con el financiamento de la
Comisión de Comunidades Europeas y de NORAD. 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.
2018. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication.
www.fishbase.org, ( 10/2018 ). Mol, H.A. Jan, The Freshwater Fishes
of Suriname. BRILL, Leiden Boston, 2012. 889 p.
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