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Sturisomatichthys aureus (Steindachner, 1900)

Image contributors to this species:

Martin Danielse (1) Melaine Riddell (1) Steven Pritchard (2) Allan James (2) Mark Sabaj Perez (1)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

This species and Sturisomatichthys festivus are very much alike and the care is the same for both species. The work carried out by Covain et.al. 2015 confines the Sturisoma genera to west of the Andes (trans-Andean), and the Sturisomatichthys genera restricted to the east of the Andes (cis-Andean). Aquarium Care: Large planted aquarium with non aggressive tank mates. Regular water changes must be adhered to, to keep this animal in good health. Sexual Differences: Mature males will grow odontodes along the sides of the head and rostrum (snout). Diet: Mostly vegetarian with cucumber, spinach, and algae wafers. Meaty foods such as frozen blood worms and live foods such as white worms and brine shrimp can be fed sporadically. Reproduction: As per this genus will lay eggs usually on the tank walls and the male will guard and fan the eggs. The eggs will hatch between 7 to 9 days and the youngsters will eat Artemia, minced lettuce and mashed peas. Sexual Differences: The males tend to have longer extensions to the fins. Remarks: Still listed on some online sources as S. aureum.

Common Name:

Giant Whiptail

Synonyms:

Loricaria aurea, Sturisoma aureum, Sturisomatichthys aureum

Family:

Loricariidae

Distribution:

Colombia: Magdalena, San Jorge and Cesar River basins. Type locality: Bodega central, Rio Magdalena, Colombia.

Size:

20.0cm. (8ins)

Temp:

24-28°c (75-83°f)

p.H.

6.0-7.5.

Reference:

Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628.
Covain, R., S. Fisch-Muller, C. Oliveira, J.H. Mol, J.I. Montoya-Burgos and S. Dray, 2015. Molecular phylogeny of the highly diversified catfish subfamily Loricariinae (Siluriformes, Loricariidae) reveals incongruences with morphological classification. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 94:492-517.
Grant, S. Whiptail Catfish on the Move. Practical Fishkeeping (UK) May 2016.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2017. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 10/2017 ).
www.loricariinae.com

Family: Loricariidae Back to Ident-A-Cat Click on Thumbnails

Sturisomatichthys aureus

Sturisomatichthys aureus
Male with eggs 13th Sept. 2009

Sturisomatichthys aureus
3 day old fry

Sturisomatichthys aureus

Sturisomatichthys aureus
Dorsal view

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