Description:
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total):
0; Anal soft rays: 55 - 70. Diagnosis: dorsal and
adipose fin absent; pectoral-fin spine strongly denticulate;
55-70 soft rays in anal fin; 20-21 gill rakers on
lower limb of first gill arch. Habitat:
Confined to large or moderate rivers. Reproduction:
Oviparous, eggs are unguarded.Distinct
pairing. Aquarium Care: Better to
be kept in groups of at least four as they will not
do too well as solitary animals. Quite a delicate
catfish for the aquarium so would need good filtration
and water changes adhered to. Diet:
In its natural habitat it feeds mainly on aquatic
and small terrestrial insects. In the aquarium, Daphnia
and frozen mosquito larvae. Etymology:
The generic name of para-, near, referring
to similarity to Ailia (now in Ailiidae),
from which it differs in the absence of vomerine teeth
and adipose fin. The specific name of spiniserrata:
spinus, spine; serrata, toothed
like a saw, referring to pectoral fin “rather
strongly serrated in its inner side”. Remarks:
The species is relatively widely distributed in western
Africa with no known major widespread threats. It
is therefore assessed as Least Concern (IUCN 2019).
Common
Name:
Butterfish
Synonyms:
None
Family:
Schilbeidae
Distribution:
Africa:
Gambia, Geba and Jong River basins, western Africa.
Type locality: MacCarthy Island Area,
Gambia River, British West Africa.
Size:
5.5cm. (2¼ins)
Temp:
23-26°C (73-79°F)
p.H.
6.5-7.2.
Reference:
Breder, C.M. and D.E.
Rosen, 1966. Modes of reproduction in fishes.
T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941
p.
Dankwa, H., Bousso, T. & Lalèyè,
P. 2020. Parailia spiniserrata. The IUCN
Red List of Threatened Species 2020.
De Vos, L., 2003. Schilbeidae. p. 97-116
In C. Lévêque, D. Paugy and G.G. Teugels
(eds.) Faune des poissons d'eaux douce et saumâtres
de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, Tome 2. Coll. Faune et Flore
tropicales 40. Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale,
Tervuren, Belgique, Museum National d'Histoire Naturalle,
Paris, France and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement,
Paris, France. 815 p. Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist
of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes),
and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa
1418:1-628. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors.
2023. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication.
www.fishbase.org, version (09/2023).
If you would like to contribute to the monthly
factsheets with an article, information or photos, please e-mail
me. You will of course be credited for your work.
If you would like to donate any denomination
of monies to the site just click the above link button. All proceeds
will go to running the site and hopefully to keep it going for a few
years yet.