Auchenoglanis
occidentalis (Valenciennes,
1840)
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| Image
contributors to this species: |
| Johnny
Jensen's Photographic Library (2) Frants
Lehmann (1 stamp) |
| ScotCat
Sources: |
 
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| Other
Sources: |
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| Relevant
Information: |
Teugels et al. (1991)
considered the genus Auchenoglanis to be comprised of
two valid species: A. biscutatus and A. occidentalis.
Due to the work carried out recently (2010) by Michael Retzer
there are now 8 in this genus with six new species, A.acuticeps,
A.biscutatus, A.occidentalis, A.sacchii,
A.senegali, A.tanganicanus, A.tchadiensis
and A.wittei. The main description for A.occidentalis
is that it can be differentiated from all other
congeners (except A.tchadiensis) by having
a uniformly coloured body. It differs from
A.tchadiensis by having oval-shaped
tooth patches on the upper jaw vs.triangular for A.tchadiensis.
This Bagrid can grow to an impressive 46cm (18¼ins)
but it is basically a gentle giant and can be trusted with anything
that can not fit into its small mouth. Its long pointed snout
is well adapted to "sook" up worms and detritus in the
sandy substrate and as such you should provide your specimen(s)
with a sand floor to your aquarium with an external power filter
that has a good flow rate. It goes without saying of course that
you will need to provide this catfish with a spacious tank considering
its adult size. Aquarium Care: It is very tolerant
to most water parameters and as such you can keep it in a low
p.H. (6.5) with larger Characins or Barbs or even in a Lake Tanganyika
setup with Cichlids from that lake in harder water, but my choice
would be to stick with the former soft and acidic conditions for
a more contented individual(s). |
| Common
Name: |
Giraffe Catfish |
| Synonyms: |
Auchenaspis
biscutata, A.biscutatus,A.occidentalis, Auchenoglanis biscutatus,
Pimelodus occidentalis, A. biscutatus occidentalis, Auchenoglanis
occidentalis occidentalis, Oxyglanis sacchii, Auchenoglanis occidentalis
var. tanganicanus, A.occidentalis tchadiensis, A.tchadensis, A.scutatus,
A.acuticeps, A.wittei, A.occidentalis tanganyikanus, A.vittatus
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| Family: |
Claroteidae blycipitidae |
| Distribution: |
Africa:
Senegal, Casamange and Gambia river drainages in western Africa..
Type locality: Sénégal. |
| Size:
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46cm.
(18¼ins) |
| Temp: |
21-25°C
(69-77°F) |
| p.H. |
6.5-7.8. |
| Reference: |
ScotCat Factsheet
no. 109. July 2005.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors.
2009.FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org,
version (10/2009).
Retzer, ME (2010) Taxonomy of Auchenoglanis
Günther 1865 (Siluriformes: Auchenoglanididae). Zootaxa
2655, pp. 25–51.
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Family:
Claroteidae
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 Auchenoglanis
occidentalis
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 Auchenoglanis
occidentalis
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 Auchenoglanis
occidentalis
Stamp
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