Pareutropius
buffei (Gras,
1961)
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egular visitors to ScotCat
and of my monthly factsheet series will probably surmise that
I like a mystery or two and this months (Nov.2000) offering is
no different, so hold on for another bumpy ride!.
This member of the Schilbeidae
family of glass catfishes has a rather mysterious past as far
as the aquatic hobby is concerned.The fish we now know as P.buffei
was thought not too long ago to be Eutropiellus debauwi
and the common name given to it was the “Debauwi Cat”
and this fish, buffei that is, is still labeled with
this common name in the aquatic trade. At one time
we knew the two fish as Eutropiellus buffei/debauwi but
the genus name of Pareutropius has now been given to
these two African Glass Cats.
Below I have included line drawings of the two species for identification.
Nine times out of ten you will have buffei as P.debauwi
is rarely imported from the wild.
Pareutropius
buffei.
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Pareutropius debauwi.
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P.debauwi
has this second body stripe missing and a more pointed caudal
fin but not such a big difference as the two drawings show.
I also find that it is not such a colourful fish as buffei.
You will also notice that P. buffei has a blotch on each
caudal fin whereas P.debauwi has not and a dark edge
shows to the adipose fin of P. debauwi.
Now after all that mystery how do we keep this Glass Catfish.
You will need to purchase at least 6 of this species as they
are a schooling fish and need their own company. If you only
buy one or two they will hide and waste away, but apart from
that they are easy to keep and seem to live for a considerable
length of time if given a spacious tank with a good water current
and the undertaking of water changes when needed.
Pareutropius buffei
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Pareutropius debauwi
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As mentioned earlier they are a schooling species and they swim
mid to low water, head up and moving their caudal fin back and
forward. They are not timid when feeding time comes around as
they love their food and if you ever want to catch this fish
to show at a fish show this is the ideal time to catch them
as their minds are very occupied when it comes to lunch. In
saying that they are not a very good show fish as they tend
to sulk in a show tank and don't show themselves of to the best
of their ability.
Small dorsal fin and long anal fin. Compressed
body. Two midlateral body stripes, the lower one reaching the
insertion of the anal fin. Two blotches on caudal fin.
Body colour sivery. A dark grey/brown line
along the back from snout to caudal base. A dark grey/black broad
stripe extends along the lateral line continueing through to posterier
edge of caudal fin. A second oblique dark stripe extends from
the posterior edge of caudal fin. A second oblique dark stripe
extends from the posterior border of the operculum to above the
vent. A dark, sometimes elongate spot on the upper and lower lobes
of the caudal fin. Base of anal fin marked with a thin dark line.
The three pairs of barbels are colourless and difficult to see.
Easy fish to keep in a shoal with non-aggressive
species.
| Sexual
differences |
The females of this
species are usually a little bit plumper than the males.
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| Breeding |
Has been bred, but only occasionally. They
scatter their eggs of up to 100 amongst the plants. Remove the
parents as they will eat the eggs. The eggs will hatch in three
days and when they have used up their yolk sac you can feed brine
shrimp and micro worm. They are a fast growing species.
In my experience thay will eat anything
but they do love frozen bloodworm and any live food such as Daphnia
and Cyclops. Feed also a good quality flake food.
| Etymology |
Pareutropius
: Para = beside;
eutropia = well-fed.
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| Glossary
of Terms: |
Operculum
: The bony covering
of the gills of fishes.
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| Reference |
Baench,
Aquarium Atlas 2
Catfish
Study Group Information Sheet
20.
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| Photo
Credits |
Aqualog Verlag,
from the book Aqualog Photo Collection 1 and is therefore copyright
to this publication.
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