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From their form they are only little differences from each other. Their trademark is the big head with the little eyes and short barbles but with an almost head wide mouth. They are sluggish animals which hardly move and only lie waiting for prey. Habitat: C. fowleri is to be found exclusively in the Rio São Francisco of Brazil and there mainly in the more calm flowing river sections. As with most of this family this species is very much a predator. Four species have been described to the genus Cephalosilurus resident in South America. Three of them have been introduced for keeping in the aquarium, C. apurensis, C. nigricaudus and C. fowleri. Update Dec. 2021: (Shibatta, Oscar A. et al, Abstract) Lophiosilurus is a monotypic genus represented by L. alexandri, a species endemic to the São Francisco river basin, Brazil. In previous phylogenetic analyses, the genus has been recovered as the sister group of Cephalosilurus. However, few species of Cephalosilurus or few characters were included in those studies. Thus, the current study aims to test the monophyletic hypothesis of the genera Lophiosilurus and Cephalosilurus with a more comprehensive phylogenetic analysis, including all Cephalosilurus species and a representative number of characters. Phylogenetic analyses of 18 terminal taxa (15 ingroups and three outgroups) were conducted based on a combined 75 character matrix, including 70 discrete morphological characters concerning osteology and neuroanatomy, four continuous characters, and the geometric morphometry of the head. The monophyly of the family Pseudopimelodidae was highly supported, and Cephalosilurus is synonymized with Lophiosilurus. The recovered phylogeny of the genus was (L. albomarginatus , L. nigricaudus, L. apurensis, L. fowleri, and L. alexandri). Remarks: Lophiosilurus apurensis is still found on some online searches as Cephalosilurus apurensis.

Rusty Jelly Cat

Pseudopimelodus fowleri, Cephalosilurus fowleri.

Pseudopimelodidae

South America: São Francisco River basin.

40.0cm. (16ins)

23-27°C (73-81°F)

6.5-7.5.

Oscar A. Shibatta, Lucas R. Jarduli, Vitor P. Abrahão & Lenice Souza-Shibatta. (2021). Phylogeny of the Neotropical Pacman catfish genus Lophiosilurus (Siluriformes: Pseudopimelodidae). Neotrop. ichthyol., 19 (4).
ScotCat Article: Better than its reputation, a look at Cephalosilurus fowleri.