Amblyceps mangois (Hamilton,
1822)
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ur factsheet this month (June 2007) brings us to a member of the
Asian family, Amblycipitidae, and the Indian Torrent Catfish,
Amblyceps mangois.
At one time this family was monotypic, but due to the work carried
out by Ng and Kottelat, there are now thirteen species in this
genus, A. mucronatum, A. murraystuarti, A. platycephalus,
A. foratum, A. variegatum, A. laticeps, A. caecutiens,
A. serratum, A. tenuispinis, A. macropterus, A. carinatum, A.
apangi and our factsheet of the month, A. mangois.
A. mangois differs from these other species in having
a relatively short body with 34-36 (versus 38-40) vertebrae, and
a caudal fin with upper and lower lobes of distinctly different
shapes (versus truncate caudal fin in A. murraystuarti and
with both lobes similar in shape in other Indochinese species).
The Pectoral spine is smooth. Due to the deeply forked caudal
fin (only A. tenuispinis, A. carinatum and A. macropterus
have this trait ) this catfish is sometimes referred to as "The
Fork-tailed Catfish"
These catfish live in small hill-streams where the water is
clear, cool and highly oxygenated, and they hide out in the
rocks and pebbles that adorn the bottom of these streams.
This catfish has to put up with different conditions in these
streams wheras it can turn from a gently flowing stream to a
raging torrent and as such has adapted to life in these conditions.
It can also regulate the amount of water that enters its gills
and it uses a fold of skin that resides behind the gill opening
to suspend its breathing where oxygenated water is retained
and a slow absorption of oxygen is carried out. It is also capable
of moving from stream to stream as their habitats dry up.
Keeping this catfish is actually not too much of a problem as
long as you can provide conditions that are benificial to its
surroundings. Breaking up the surface of the water with a spray
bar is a good idea which oxygenates the water. A bed of sand
or smooth gravel, as they like to bury themselved in the substrate,
and a few pipes and caves for them to hide away and feel secure
in their surroundings.
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Amblyceps mangois
(after Hora,1933) |
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Dorsal 1/6; pectorals: 1,7; Ventrals i, 5;
Anal fin ii-iii, 7-9; Caudal 19. Eyes small and subcutaneous. Jaws
unequal, either jaw may be longer than the other. Teeth villiform
in bands on upper jaw produced at the sides, lower jaw a similar
narrow band which is interrupted in the middle. Palate without teeth.
Four pairs of barbels; maxillary barbels reaching middle or end
of pectoral spine, nasal barbels equaling head length, outer and
inner mandibular barbels as long as nasal. Rayed dorsal fin inserted
almost above pectoral fin base, with six rays and a concealed spine
not reaching pelvic fin. Pelvic fin not reaching anal fin. Anal
fin not reaching caudal fin. Least height of caudal peduncle 1.0
to 1.6 in its length. Caudal fin deeply forked, upper lobe longer.
Olive brown lighter below. A dark lateral band branching towards
caudal and anal base may be present.
Best kept with larger Danio's such as "The Giant Danio"
(Danio aquepinneatus) Barbs and Rasboras. Any medium
sized fish that like water movement in the aquarium
This species breeds in the summer in its natural habitat. Not
yet bred in aquaria.
| Sexual
differences |
Females have a pair of unbranched ovaries and
are smaller than the males who have branched testes.
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| Feeding |
In their natural habitat their diet consists of aquatic insects
and larvae. In an aquarium set-up they like worm foods such as frozen
bloodworm and whiteworm. They feed very much like the Tatia
species from South America where they feed frantically on the
move, twisting and turning to take the food.
| Glossary
of Terms |
Monotypic
: Having only one species,
such as a monotypic family of fishes.
Subcutaneous:
Positioned beneath the skin.
Villiform: Elongated
cardiform teeth.
Maxillary barbels:
Pertaining to the upper jaw. (maxillary
barbels)
Nasal barbels:
On top of the head, by the nostrils.
(nasal barbels)
Mandibular barbels:
Pertaining to the lower jaw. (mandibular
barbels)
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| Etymology |
Amblyceps
= Amblys = blunt; ceps = from caput
head.
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| References |
Stratton,Andy;
Keeping the Forked-tailed Catfish, Aquarist
& Pondkeeper, March 1994, p74-77.
Jayaram, K.C.; Catfishes of India, Narendera
Publishing House. p156-157.
Ng, H.H., 2005 Amblyceps carinatum, a new
species of hillstream catfish from Myanmar (Teleostei: Amblycipitidae).
Raffles Bull. Zool. 53(2):243-249.
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| Photo
Credits |
Top picture: Daniel
Fredriksson.
Bottom picture: Original Source
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Ganges
drainage in Northern India 
