SCOTCAT.COM

your internet guide to all things catfish

Auchenipterichthys punctatus (Valenciennes, 1840)

Image contributors to this species:

Garold W. Sneegas (1) Allan James (2) Erlend D. Bertelsen (1)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

Auchenipterichthys punctatus is most similar in appearance to A. longimanus, which differs from A. punctatus primarily in lacking distinct, dark spots covering the head or body. Auchenipterichthys punctatus is readily distinguished from its other two congeners, A. coracoideus and A. thoracatus, which have coracoids that are covered ventrally only by a thin layer of integument and appear to be exposed to the surface, the anterior teeth on premaxilla are visible in the closed mouth and, typically, eight (rarely nine) branched pelvic-fin rays (Ferraris et.al. 2005). Etymology: The specific name punctatus: From the Latin punctatus = 'spotted'. Remarks: At the northernmost collecting site (altitude of about 150 m) along upper Rio Negro, the water was blackish, over rocky bottoms. Stomach contents of four specimens indicate a diet consisting mainly of insect nymphs and adults. (Soares-Porto, L.M. 1994).

Common Name:

None

Synonyms:

Auchenipterichthys dantei, Auchenipterus punctatus

Family:

Auchenipteridae

Distribution:

South America: Upper Orinoco River and Upper Amazon River basins, including the Negro River.

Size:

15.0cm. (6ins)

Temp:

23-25°c (73-77°f.)

p.H.

6.5-7.2.

IUCN Red List

Despite there being little information available on this species, it is assessed as Least Concern due to its wide range and no direct threats (IUCN 2023).

Reference:

Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628.
Ferraris, C.J. Jr., Vari, P. Richard and Raredon, J.Sandra; Catfishes of the genus Auchenipterichthys (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae); a revisionary study. Neotropical Ichthyology, 3(1):89-106, 2005.
Frederico, R.G. 2023. Auchenipterichthys punctatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023.
Soares-Porto, L.M. 1994 Auchenipterichthys dantei, a new species of catfish from the Amazon Basin (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae). Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 5(3):281-287.

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

Auchenipterichthys punctatus

Auchenipterichthys punctatus

Auchenipterichthys punctatus
From the Rio Atabapo

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.