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Neosilurus pseudospinosus Allen & Feinberg, 1998

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Description: The Falsespine Catfish has an elongate body with a tall first dorsal fin. The second dorsal fin and anal fin are continuous with the caudal fin. There is a flexible cartilaginous spine at the front of the first dorsal fin and pectoral fins. Habitat: Inhabits pools and flowing streams, swimming close to rocky or sandy substrate. Widespread in rivers and creeks of the Kimberley region and prefer habitat of variable-sized rocky pools, usually with slow to relatively swift-flowing water. Colouration: The species is grey to black above and whitish on the belly. Juveniles are lighter in colour. Etymology: The specific name pseudospinosus: pseudo-, from pseúdes, false; spinosus (L.), thorny, referring to its weak and flexible (and therefore “false”) dorsal- and pectoral-fin spines, unlike the stiff spines of most congeners. Remarks: Closely resembles Neosilurus mollespiculum, the only other Australian plotosid which lacks rigid dorsal and pectoral spines, but that species has shorter nasal barbels.

Common Name:

False-spined catfish

Synonyms:

None

Family:

Plotosidae

Distribution:

Oceania: Ord River, Western Australia. Type locality: Rocky pool of Ord R. on Old Lissadel Station, Kimberley Dist., Western Australia, ca. 16º40'S, 128º83'E.

Size:

35.0cm. (14ins)

Temp:

22-28°C (71-83°F)

p.H.

6.5-8.0.

IUCN Red List

Neosilurus pseudospinosus is assessed as Least Concern. Despite having a restricted distribution and being generally rare, there is no evidence of it being significantly impacted by threats or undergoing continuing decline in distribution, habitat or population status, (IUCN 2019).

Reference:

Allen, G.R., S.H. Midgley and M. Allen, 2002. Field guide to the freshwater fishes of Australia. Western Australian Museum, Perth, Western Australia. 394 p.
Allen, G.R. and M.N. Feinberg, 1998. Descriptions of a new genus and four new species of freshwater catfishes (Plotosidae) from Australia. Aqua J. Ichthyol. Aquat. Biol. 3(1):9-18.
australianmuseum.net.au
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2009. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (01/2017).
Moore, G. 2019. Neosilurus pseudospinosus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019.

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

Neosilurus pseudospinosus

Neosilurus pseudospinosus
Juvenile

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