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 e have another quite large catfish to wet your appetite this month (August 2026), namely the "Marble antenna catfish", Leiarius marmoratus, from the Pimelodidae family. This is a very pretty member of this family, and its marbled appearance lends it its common name.

    Leiarius marmoratus

Can we keep it in an aquarium setup?. Yes and no; it is not to be trusted with small fish, as they will be chased down during the night forays of this catfish. It would need a large aquarium due to its eventual size, with a clear area to the front of the tank and hiding places for it during the daylight hours, such as large clay land pipes and clay pots. Probably more suited to a big cat expert in the hobby.

Marble antenna catfish

Sciades marmoratus

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South America: Amazon, Essequibo, and Orinoco River basins. Type locality: Peru or Ecuador, Amazon system, Río Marañon or Río Napo.

80.0cm. (32ins)

24-26°C (75-79°F)

Large dorsal fin with 10 rays.

Not to be trusted with small fish, as they will be chased down during the night forays of this catfish. Would need a large aquarium due to its eventual size, with a clear area to the front of the tank and hiding places for it during the daylight hours, such as large clay land pipes and clay pots. Needs the aquarium to be well maintained with regular water changes, as they can become lethargic and will refuse to eat, so again a catfish for the experienced aquarist. If housed in a very large aquarium, tankmates would need to be deep-bodied, such as some larger characins, as they will predate especialy at night. Provide sand as a substrate or a bare bottom, as gravel could be ingested when feeding, although large stones for decoration would suffice.

Not recorded.

Not recorded.

Small feeder fish, lean beef, aquatic insect larvae, tablets, and frozen foods. Should only be fed about two to three times per week to avoid gluttony.

Dorsal fin: The primary rayed fin(s) on top of the body.
Taxon: According to the Code, any formal taxonomic unit or category of organisms (species, genus, family, order, class, etc.). Taxa (pl.).

Leiarius: leìos, smooth, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to smooth (vs. granulated) head surface of L. longibarbis; arius, possibly used here to reflect Bleeker’s classification of this taxon in a phalanx he called Ariobagri.
marmoratus: Latin for marbled or mottled, referring to its greyish ground colour, which “forms meandering lines between the large blackish spots by which it is covered”.

Photo Credits

© Andy Watson.
© Chris Ralph.
Map: Field guide of the Amazon, Orinoco & Guianas. Princeton University Press, Princeton and Oxford. 2018.