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Conorhynchos conirostris (Valenciennes, 1840)

Image contributors to this species:

Jian Ruilong (1) C.B.M Alves (1) Drake Shaw (3)

ScotCat Sources:

Other Sources:

Relevant Information:

Description: The genus name of Conorhynchus pertains to the conical shaped snout of this species. It does not appear to be assignable to any family and is placed incertae sedis. However, it has been grouped into the superfamily Pimelodoidea due to molecular evidence. Habitat: Conorhynchos conirostris is endemic to the São Francisco River in Brazil and is considered a symbol of the river. Aquarium Care: Not imported very often so there is not too much information on keeping this species in the aquarium. Will grow large and is probably not suitable for most tanks unless by an experienced big catfish keeper. Etymology: The specific name conirostris: conus, from kwnos, cone; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, like the generic name, referring to its elongate, conical snout [often incorrectly dated to Valenciennes 1840].

Common Name:

None

Synonyms:

Pimelodus conirostris, Conorhynchus glaber

Family:

Pimelodidae

Distribution:

South America: Rio São Francisco, Brazil.

Size:

53.5cm. (21½ins)

Temp:

22-25°C (71-77°F)

p.H.

6.0-7.0.

IUCN Red List

Conorhynchos conirostris was once distributed throughout the São Francisco River basin. Currently, it is most representative in the upper-middle São Francisco region, in the main channel and lower reaches of larger tributaries, in the stretch considered to be between the downstream of the Três Marias Hydroelectric Power Plant dam and the backwater of the Sobradinho Hydroelectric Power Plant reservoir. It shows a clear population decline due to environmental changes in drainage systems, fishing pressure, and especially the construction of dams. Considering that the species is currently found in only 50% of its original area of occupancy (AOO) and extent of occurrence (EOO), it is estimated that the population has declined by at least 50% in size over the last 30 years or three generations. This period coincides with the construction of the large hydroelectric plants on the lower São Francisco River. Therefore, the species has been categorised as Endangered (EN). (IUCN 2021).

Reference:

Biologia Reprodutiva do Pirá Conorhynchus conirostris Valenciennes, 1840 (Pisces: Pimelodidae) do Rio São Francisco, Região de Pirapora, Minas Gerais (Portuguese)".
Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio). 2021. Conorhynchos conirostris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.
Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2019. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 12/2019 ).
Sullivan, JP; Lundberg JG; Hardman M (2006). "A phylogenetic analysis of the major groups of catfishes (Teleostei: Siluriformes) using rag1 and rag2 nuclear gene sequences". Mol Phylogenet Evol.
The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.

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

Conorhynchos conirostris

Conorhynchos conirostris
From Rio Sao Francisco

Conorhynchos conirostris

Conorhynchos conirostris
Dorsal view

Conorhynchos conirostris
Head view

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