Mees (1974) assigned this species
to Tatia but Ferraris (2007) reverted it
back to the original genera of Centromochlus.
Just recently (September 2019)due
to earlier work carried out by U.K. aquarist and amateur
ichthyologist Steven Grant (2015) a new paper was
released by Bárbara B. Calegariet.
al. whereas this species (C. macracanthus),
Tatia carolae Vari & Ferraris, 2013 and
Centromochlus schultzi Rössel, 1962
were reclassified to a new genus, Balroglanis.
Description: Dorsal spines (total):
1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 5; Anal soft rays: 7;
Vertebrae: 37. First nuchal plate absent; the supraoccipital
bone sutured to the 2nd nuchal plate. First dorsal
fin spine elongated, 28-35% SL. Coracoid process covered
with skin, not visible externally. Aquarium
Care: Keeping this rare species is not too
much of a problem as long as the water is kept clean
and not too alkaline with a p.H.of between 6.5 and
7.0. They do like a planted aquarium where they like
to hide during the day. Diet:
In its native habitat they feed on insects, mostly
ants, beetles, and mayflies and in the aquarium they
will eat anything given such as frozen bloodworm which
they will come out of hiding to feed on, catfish tablets,
daphnia, white worm (sparingly) and any other worm-like
foods. Breeding: They leave their
eggs in a gelatinous mass under stones or bogwood.
As of this family the male will fertilise the female
internally. Entymology: Balroglanis:
Meaning "Balrog Catfish" and is derived
from the Maia, a Balrog known as Durin's Bane, who
terrorised Durin the Deathless' descendants in Khazad-dûm,
in J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings legendarium.
Remarks: As of December 2020 most
of the online sources have not caught up on this new
genus name change.
Common
Name:
None
Synonyms:
Centromochlus macracanthus
Family:
Auchenipteridae
Distribution:
Brazil:Upper Negro River basin. Type locality: Brazil:
Amazonas: São Pedro, Rio Negro.
Size:
7.0cm (2¾ins)
Temp:
26-28°c (79-83°f.)
p.H.
6.5-7.0.
Reference:
Grant, S.,
2015: Four new subgenera of Centromochlus Kner, 1858
with comments on the boundaries of some related genera
(Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae: Centromochlinae).
Ichthyofile 3: 1–16. Bárbara B Calegari, Richard P Vari,
Roberto E Reis, 2019. Phylogenetic systematics
of the driftwood catfishes (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae):
a combined morphological and molecular analysis, Zoological
Journal of the Linnean Society, , zlz036 Sarmento-Soares, Luisa Maria; Martins-Pinheiro,
Ronaldo Fernando A systematic revision of
Tatia (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae: Centromochlinae)
Neotropical Ichthyology, 6(3):495-542, 2008. 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., 2003. Auchenipteridae
(Driftwood catfishes). p. 470-482. 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.
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