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Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii (Castelnau, 1855)

Image contributors to this species:

Nishant Kikani (5) Enrico Richter (3) Allan James (2) Beta Mahatvaraj (1) Haakon Haagensen (1)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

Habitat: This large 'Pim' lives in the black, white, and clearwater rivers of Brazil, Peru and Colombia. Colouration: They sport a gold or silver glow and look chrome or gold plated in colour. At about 30cm they start to prefer a strong current in the aquarium and take on more of a golden glow to their body. Reproduction: Reproductive migrations probably occur like in other Brachyplatystoma. Aquarium Care: It is reported that youngsters to aquarium life can be problematic to acclimatise. They can become very territorial and are always on the go and never seem to rest. This is of course a catfish for only the experienced predatory catfish keepers. Etymology: The specific name rousseauxii: In honour of French malacologist Louis Rousseau (note spelling, 1811–1874), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris), a “zealous traveler and skilled photographer” (translation); Rousseau was also a pioneer in zoological and anthropological photography.

Common Name:

Dourada (Brazil)

Synonyms:

Bagrus rousseauxii, Bagrus goliath, Brachyplatystoma paraense.

Family:

Pimelodidae

Distribution:

South America: Amazon and Orinoco River basins and major rivers of French Guiana.

Size:

180.0cm. (6ft)

Temp:

22-27°C (71-81°F)

p.H.

6.0-7.2.

IUCN Red List

Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii is widespread in the Amazon and Orinoco River basins, inhabiting the mainstem of the major rivers. The species has the longest reproductive migration known for a freshwater fish species, with the spawning area in the Andes foothills and the nursery in the estuarine area. The species performs natal homing, a characteristic where specimens migrate to the place of birth to spawn. The construction of hydroelectric dams in the Madeira River, the longest tributary of the Amazon River, has fragmented the population in the Amazon basin. Migrants are impeded now to assess the spawning area in the Andean foothills of Boliva and southern Peru, and forced residents upstream of the dams probably are not able to maintain a viable population in the upper Madeira River. Considering only the Amazon River basin, which is where pre-adult and adult individuals are found, there is a projected loss of 37% of the area of occupancy (AOO) in the next three generations as a result of damming on the Madeira River, along with ongoing commercial fishing of the species. It is assumed that this will result in a population size reduction of at least c. 37% over the same period. Therefore, this species is assessed as Vulnerable A3cd (IUCN 2023).

Reference:

Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2020. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 12/2020 ).
Lundberg, J.G. and M.W. Littmann, 2003. Pimelodidae (Long-whiskered catfishes). p. 432-446. 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.
Reis, R & Lima, F. 2009. Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009.
Richter, Enrico. 2011 Amazon Predators
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.

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

Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii

Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii

Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii
Juvenile

Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii
Juvenile head view

Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii
Head view-at VR Mall, Thirumangalam, Chennai.

Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii

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