There is at present (2010)
nine species in this genera and they used to all be
in the Pimelodidae genus. Description:
Their body is long and slender with a depressed head.
The head is covered dorsally with a layer of thick
skin. The occipital process is short and does not
meet the predorsal plate, and the fontanel is narrow
and usually extends to the occipital base, with or
without an interruption behind the eyes. The dorsal
and pectoral fins lack spines. The skin of these fish
is usually naked (scaleless) and they exhibit three
pairs of barbels. In its natural habitat there is
a report of H. armillatus seeming to prefer
sand and a gravel bottom with a relatively fast flow
of water or sluggish waters of the same stream where
aquatic vegetation was lacking. Aquarium Care:
Not usually kept in aquaria but there is a report
that H. leptos was kept on a soft substrate
with subdued lighting as they are quite secretive.
Diet: Most prepared foods but prefers
live.
Common
Name:
None
Synonyms:
Pimelodus mustelinus, Heptapterus
eigenmanni
Family:
Heptapteridae
Distribution:
South America:
La Plata and Uruguay River basins and coastal drainages
of southern Brazil. Type locality:
Rio de la Plata.
Size:
9.0cm. (3½ins)
Temp:
18-24°C (63-75°F)
p.H.
6.5-7.2.
Reference:
Burgess, W.E.
1989 An atlas of freshwater and marine catfishes.
A preliminary survey of the Siluriformes. T.F.H. Publications,
Inc., Neptune City, New Jersey (USA). 784 p. Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist
of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes),
and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa
1418:1-628.
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