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Description: Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6; Anal soft rays: 13 - 14. Body elongated, without scales, almost covered with bony plaque, ventrally flattened in adults. Terminal mouth has three pairs of barbels. Lower jaw is shorter than the upper jaw. Eyes small. Reproduction: Occurs once a year and juveniles are often seen in large numbers in the estuary of the Amazon, in the region of Mario. Diet: Feeds on fruits when the forests are flooded and on the blades of macrophytes (aquatic plants, growing in or near water that are either emergent, submergent, or floating). Acts as seed dispersal agent. Etymology: The specific name dorsalis: Latin for of the back, presumably referring to 5–6 oblong plates between dorsal and adipose fins.

Rock-bacu

Doras dorsalis, Doras papilionatus, Doras papillionatus, Doras lithogaster, Megalodoras paucisquamatus

Doradidae

South America: Amazon River basin and estuary near Cayenne, French Guiana.

90.0cm. (36ins)

22-26°C (71-79°F)

6.0-7.2.

Burgess, W.E. 1989 An atlas of freshwater and marine catfishes. A preliminary survey of the Siluriformes. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Neptune City, New Jersey (USA). 784 p.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2009. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (12/2009).
Le Bail, P.-Y., P. Keith and P. Planquette 2000 Atlas des poissons d'eau douce de Guyane (tome 2, fascicule II). Publications scientifiques du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris: 307 p.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.