Anaspidoglanis
macrostoma
(Pellegrin,
1909)
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his species, is the smaller of three from the same
African genus of Anaspidoglanis Teugels, Risch, De Vos
& Thys, 1991. The other two being Anaspidoglanis akiri (Risch
1987) and Anaspidoglanis boutchangai (Thys van den Audenaerde
1965). It was a member of the African-Asian Bagridae family until
1991 when Mo split it up and constructed a new family, Claroteidae,
which is closely related to the Bagrids, where we of course find
this months subject.
When aquarists, through the years, owned this species in their tanks
it was always mooted as, Parauchenoglanis guttatus, but
we now know that Parauchenoglanis macrostoma was
probably the species as guttatus was very rarely imported
and so our Factsheet of the Month started life as Auchenoglanis
macrostoma and then Parauchenoglanis macrostoma
and now to its present day name of Anaspidoglanis
macrostoma and of course on into a new family.
Of course needless to say it needs a large tank to accommodate it
and its larger tankmates and kept singularly. There is conflicting
literature that states that they will do well in a group but the
general consensus is that this is a loner that is best kept on its
own. It is also a burrower in the substrate so plants may take a
bit of abuse from its activities but all in all an interesting catfish
for the larger community setup.
D 1/7; A 12, 9 branched. Body elongate, compressed
of fairly uniform depth. Caudal fin truncated. 3 pairs of long barbels.
Upperside brownish, flanks yellow-brown, underside yellowish. 5
transverse stripes composed of large, dark blotches which may more
or less run together. A few rows of prominent spots between the
bolder rows of blotches. Fins yellowish to reddish-brown. Dorsal
and caudal fin with rows of dark spots.
This African bagrid is a night time predator so tank mates would
need to be at least over 3 ins (7cm) to escape its clutches. Tank
mates could include the larger African Characins such as the Congo
Tetras ( Phenacogrammus interruptus) and the larger American
Characins such as from the Distichodus genera. Larger Barbs
like the Tinfoil Barb (Barbus schwanefeldi) could be a
good choice. Alternately, you could house one in a Cichlid Community
as long as it is not a Rift Valley set-up as the higher p.H. may
prove a bit too high over a long period of time. Try to keep less
bottom dwellers with a Dwarf Giraffe Catfish as they are quite territorial
and need their own hiding niche such as a rock/slate shelter so
it can rest up during the day.
Not in the aquarium but in their native habitat they have been reported
that they build a nest and practice parental care
Will feed on almost anything including worm foods, frozen bloodworm,
tablet and pellet food.
| Etymology |
Anaspidoglanis:
From the Greek, an= meaning without, aspis= meaning shield,
and glanis= meaning catfish; in reference to the absence of
a well-developed shield between the cranium and the dorsal
fin
macrostomas:
From
the Greek makros, meaning long and stoma, meaning mouth; in
reference to the size of the mouth.
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| Factsheet
Request |
Joseph Stuart
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| References |
Riehl, Rüdiger Dr & Baensch Hans A.; Aquarium
Atlas 1
Sterba, Günther; Sterba's Freshwater
Fishes of the World 1
Burgess, Warren E; An
Atlas of Freshwater and Marine Catfishes
Aqualog
Verlag ©
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| Synonyms:
|
| Auchenoglanis macrostoma,
Parauchenoglanis macrostoma |
| Common
Name: |
| Dwarf Giraffe Catfish |
| Family: |
| Claroteidae |
| Subfamily: |
| Claroteinae |
| Distribution: |
| Africa:
Chiloango
basin in Angola, central basin of the Congo Loémé
basin in Congo, Ogooué basin in Gabon and the basins
of the Nyong, Sanaga and Dja in Cameroon |
| Size: |
| 24cm. (9ins) |
| Temp: |
| 23-27°C
(73-81°F) |
| pH.: |
| 6.5 - 8.0 |
| Donation: |
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