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ou need to take one look at this catfish, and even if you are not in the hobby and the nearest fish that you get to see is in your local restaurant, you know that this is a predator. Its wide mouth gives it away as it also needs plenty of hiding places, such as pipes and caves, as they like to hide during the day before they pounce for food edibles.

    Lophiosilurus apurensis

L. apurensis, L. fowleri and L. nigricaudus are imported now and then and will indeed grow large, but there is a crucial advantage in keeping them. Due to their expressed location, their urge to move is only very weakly pronounced and compared with some other large predator catfish of the same origin, they are also not very good at persistent swimming. Even if they (however, only in exceptional cases such as escape or catching prey) can move abruptly, they prove altogether, exactly like their clumsy shape, to be rather slow-acting animals. They only move if they expect food, then they emerge from their hiding places.

Therefore, one needs aquariums with a large surface area; a much freer swimming area is not a necessity. Even with lengths of over half a metre, they are still well accommodated in two-metre tanks. Important, however, is a sufficient depth; on the one hand, it should amount to at least 70 centimetres, only then can it be ensured that the adult animals can create adequate hiding places. On the other hand, one should aim for large individuals, at least a tank height of 65 to 70 centimetres, which is connected with their attainable length in the long run. Long barbled and more active predatory species like Perrunichthys perruno or Leiarius pictus prefer far roomier tanks, to guarantee that their barbles don't touch the tank sides when manoeuvring, thus the animals are then placed in a stress situation (Christopher and Wolfgang Ros - article 94).

Jelly Cat

Pseudopimelodus apurensis, Cephalosilurus apurensis.

Batrochoglaninae

South America: Rio Arichuna, Apure, Venezuela. Type locality: Río Arichuna, near San Pedro, Rincón hondo, Apure, Venezuela.

48.0cm. (19ins)

23-26°C (73-79°F)

Dorsal fin when adpressed reaches or almost reaches the adipose fin. Small eyes and wide head (Grant, S. 2021). Caudal fin lanceolate; pectoral-fin spine covered with thin skin; anterior nares on the margin of the mouth.

This, of course, is a predator which needs plenty of hiding places, such as pipes and caves, as they like to hide during the day. The tank should be moderately lit with floating plants to keep the light down. A gravel substrate is recommended. Generally, the genus Lophiosilurus is considered very territorial, and this particularly applies to the intraspecific aggressiveness. L. apurensis does not defend its own quiescent place, but also the surrounding area. Weaker species in the same tank are tormented for a long time until they perish due to bite injuries and the continuing stress situation. Even in very large aquariums, therefore, the socialisation with other species, in addition to other Lophiosilurus species, is not possible. Provide a good filtration in the tank, as they are prone to shedding their skin if conditions are not ideal.

This is a report on another Lophiosilurus species, i.e. L. alexandri......Large yolk sac persists on day 4, is much reduced at day 9, and is completely consumed within the 13th day of development. Non-migratory and its reproduction involves the construction of a circular nest depression (40–50 cm diameter and 8–10 cm depth) in a shoal area. Spawning is parceled and the female lays large adhesive eggs (3.1 to 3.6 mm) in the centre of the nest, which are then guarded and maintained by the male. Upon hatching, the larvae remain at the bottom of the nest and do not move vertically into the water column.

Males tend to be more slender and smaller than the females and have a genital papilla (Grant, S. 2021).

Will only eat live foods when first introduced to the aquarium but can be weaned off this and fed with shrimps, worms, thawed out smelt, fillets of fish and tablet foods.

Adipose fin: Fleshy finlike projection without rays, behind the rayed dorsal fin.
Anal fin: The median, unpaired, ventrally located fin that lies behind the anus, usually on the posterior half of the fish.
Caudal fin: The tail.
Dorsal fin: The primary rayed fin(s) on top of the body.
Genital papilla: A small, fleshy tube behind the anus in some fishes, from which the sperm or eggs are released; the sex of a fish often can be determined by the shape of its papilla.
Monophyletic: The term monophyly, or monophyletic, derives from the two Ancient Greek words µóvoç (mónos), meaning "alone, only, unique", (phûlon), meaning "genus, species", and refers to the fact that a monophyletic group includes organisms (e.g., genera, species) consisting of all the descendants of a unique common ancestor.
Neuroanatomy: The study of the structure and organization of the nervous system, comprising the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system. It focuses on key regions like the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and brainstem, which manage motor control, sensory perception, and cognition.
Osteological: Pertaining to the study of bones, part of anatomy.
Pectoral fin: The paired fins just behind the head.
Phylogentic: Descendant lines.

Lophiosilurus: Greek, lophos = crest + Greek, silouros = cat fish.
apurensis: –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Apure River drainage and/or Apure, Venezuela, type locality.

Photo Credits

© Ben Lee @
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