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Tocantinsia piresi (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920)

Image contributors to this species:

Jian Ruilong (2) Mark Henry Sabaj (2) Zierfisch Zentrum Austria (1)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

Habitat: Tocantinsia piresi in the only member of this genera and is found in the Rio Tocantins where it gets its genus name from. Aquarium Care: Misleading reports in some aquatic literature and the internet as being of a small size but this is quite a large Auchenipterid, so tankmates would need to be chosen carefully. Etymology: The genus name Tocantinsia: meaning taken from Brazilian river. the Tocantins. The Specific name piresi: in honour of Miranda Ribeiro’s good friend Antenor Pires, taxidermist on expedition that collected type. Remarks: The last two thumbnail images were captured by Mark Henry Sabaj and he explains here:- "Tocantinsia_piresi measures 38 cm standard length and is from Rio Xingu (middle Volta Grande), off left bank, ca. 54 km southeast of Altamira. This species is a dweller of large river channels with juveniles found at great depths during the low water season."

Common Name:

None

Synonyms:

Glanidium piresi, Tocantinsia depressa.

Family:

Auchenipteridae

Distribution:

South America: Upper Tocantins River basin in Brazil. Type locality: Rio São Manoel, Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Size:

38.5cm. (15¼ins)

Temp:

21-24°c (69-75°f.)

p.H.

6.0-7.0.

IUCN Red List

Tocantinsia piresi is endemic to Brazil and known from the basins of the Tocantins, Xingu, Tapajós, and Jari rivers, occurring in lotic environments with rocky bottoms. The following hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) are located within the species' range: Santo Antônio do Jari (Jari), Serra da Mesa, Cana Brava, São Salvador, Peixe Angical, Luis Eduardo Magalhães, Estreito, and Tucuruí (Tocantins); Belo Monte (Xingu); São Manoel and Sinop (Tapajós). In addition to these, the following HPPs are planned: Ipueiras, Tupiratins, Serra Quebrada, and Marabá (Tocantins); Colider, Teles Pires, Foz do Apiacás, São Luiz do Tapajós, Jatobá, Jamanxim, Cachoeira do Caí, and Cachoeira dos Patos (Tapajós). In the Tocantins River, *T. piresi* is no longer found in reservoir areas, only in open stretches. The species' generational time was calculated at nine years (15 years of longevity and three years to age at first maturity). Considering the hydroelectric dams built since 1996 and those planned for the next 11 years, an estimated habitat loss of 4,150 km² or 29% of the area of occupancy (AOO) is expected. Taking into account the species' biology and the fact that some run-of-river reservoirs do not cause a total loss of the *T. piresi* population , it is suspected that the population decline will approach 29% over a period of three generational times. Therefore, *T. piresi* was categorised as Near Threatened (NT), approaching the Vulnerable (VU) category according to criterion A4c. (IUCN 2022).

Reference:

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. 2015. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 08/2015 ).
Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio). 2022. Tocantinsia piresi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.
Mark Henry Sabaj: pers comm.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.

Family: Auchenipteridae Back to Ident-A-Cat Click on Thumbnails

Tocantinsia piresi
50cm Total length.

Tocantinsia piresi
50cm Total length.

Tocantinsia piresi
From the Rio Xingu

Tocantinsia piresi
Head view

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