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Sciades couma (Valenciennes, 1840)

Image contributors to this species:

Mark Ram (1)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

Description: Dorsal spines (total): 1. The head is rounded and flattened on the upper part. The mouth is slightly inferior. It has 3 pairs of barbels (1 pair of maxillary barbels and 2 pairs of mandibular barbels. The cephalic surface is very rough. Habitat: brackish, marine. Confined chiefly to turbid waters in estuaries and the lower parts of rivers. Two annual cycles of slower growth are known during the two dry seasons (March and August to November). Probably has a short life span. Reproduction: In the beginning of reproduction, the male's mouth changes to function as a egg repository (buccal incubation). The female lays down her eggs in a sandy depression, then after fertilization, the male puts the eggs into its mouth which is provided with ventilation until hatching. Eggs diameter is about 2 mm and its number varies from 100 to 165 per female. Diet: Feeds mainly on crustaceans. Aquarium Care: Grows too large for the home aquarium. Remarks: Its delicate flesh is highly valued.

Common Name:

Couma sea catfish

Synonyms:

Bagrus couma, Sciadeichthys (Selenaspis) walrechti

Family:

Ariidae

Distribution:

South America: Atlantic draining rivers of South America, from the Gulf of Paria to the mouth of the Amazon. Type locality: Surinam, probably neighbourhood of Paramaribo.

Size:

97.0cm. TL (39ins)

Temp:

22-26°c (71-79°f)

p.H.

7.0-8.0.

Reference:

Cervigón, F., R. Cipriani, W. Fischer, L. Garibaldi, M. Hendrickx, A.J. Lemus, R. Márquez, J.M. Poutiers, G. Robaina and B. Rodriguez, 1992. Fichas FAO de identificación de especies para los fines de la pesca. Guía de campo de las especies comerciales marinas y de aquas salobres de la costa septentrional de Sur América. FAO, Rome. 513 p. Preparado con el financiamento de la Comisión de Comunidades Europeas y de NORAD.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2019. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 01/2019 ).
Le Bail, P.-Y., P. Keith and P. Planquette, 2000. Atlas des poissons d'eau douce de Guyane. Tome 2, Fascicule II: Siluriformes. Collection Patrimoines Naturels 43(II): 307p. Paris: Publications scientifiques du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle.
Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628.

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

Sciades couma

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