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Bergiaria westermanni (Lütken, 1874)

Image contributors to this species:

Jian Ruilong (1)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

Description: Small, distinctly subterminal mouth and slender body form. Long maxillary barbels, which can be longer than the body. Aquarium Care: Not imported very often so there is not too much information on keeping this species in the aquarium although should be similar as most smaller Pimelodids in that they will predate on smaller fish, but should be okay with similar sized species. Etymology: The genus name Bergiaria: –aria (L. suffix), pertaining to: Latvian zoologist Friedrich Wilhelm Karl (“Carlos”) Berg (1843–1902), Museo Nacional de Buenos Aires [replacement name for Bergiella Eigenmann & Norris 1900, preoccupied by Bergiella Baker 1897 in Hymenoptera]. The specific name westermanni: Patronym not identified, probably in honour of Lütken’s fellow Dutchman Gerardus Frederick Westermann (1807–1890), who helped found the Amsterdam Zoo in 1838.

Common Name:

Westerman's Pimelodus

Synonyms:

Pimelodus westermanni

Family:

Pimelodidae

Distribution:

South America: Das Velhas River basin in São Francisco River drainage in Brazil. Type locality: In flumine Rio das Velhas.

Size:

20.0cm. (8ins)

Temp:

22-25°C (71-77°F)

p.H.

6.0-7.0.

IUCN Red List

Bergiaria westermanni is widely distributed throughout the upper São Francisco River region, although it is naturally infrequent and not very abundant. The upper São Francisco River region has environments under different impacts, especially with the increase in agriculture, urbanisation, deforestation, mining, and dams. However, there is no evidence that these threats are affecting the species. For these reasons, Bergiaria westermanni has been categorised as Least Concern (IUCN 2022).

Reference:

Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio). 2022. Bergiaria westermanni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.
Lundberg, J.G. and M.W. Littmann, 2003. Pimelodidae (Long-whiskered catfishes). p. 432-446. In R.E. Reis, S.O. Kullander and C.J. Ferraris, Jr. (eds.) Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, Brasil.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.

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

Bergiaria westermanni
Juvenile

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