A super new driftwood catfish - Aqualog

<strong>Aqualog</strong><strong>new</strong>s NUMBER 92 14<br />

T<br />

he members of the genus<br />

Centromochlus are very closely related<br />

to the genus Tatia,and many species now<br />

assigned to Centromochlus were in fact<br />

included in Tatia until a comparatively<br />

short time ago. Thus some of the more<br />

popular species in the aquarium hobby are<br />

still known as Tatia, for example the<br />

attractive little Centromochlus perugiae.<br />

RARITIES<br />

A <strong>super</strong> <strong>new</strong> <strong>driftwood</strong> <strong>catfish</strong><br />

Centromochlus sp.“Ninja”<br />

by Harald Jahn<br />

The <strong>driftwood</strong> <strong>catfish</strong>es (Auchenipteridae) are interesting fishes. They<br />

are found exclusively in (= are endemic to) South America, where they<br />

are widespread. One of their peculiarities is that they practice internal<br />

fertilization. The anal fin of the male is modified into an inseminating<br />

organ for this purpose. This means that male and female are easily<br />

distinguished when sexually mature.<br />

Centromochlus perugiae<br />

This species is also the only member of<br />

the genus to be seen fairly regularly in the<br />

trade, as it is fairly easy to breed<br />

successfully. The females lay their eggs in<br />

caves and guard them until they hatch.<br />

Because of the internal fertilization, a<br />

female kept in isolation after she has been<br />

mated can lay fertilized eggs.<br />

In the meantime the species could be<br />

identifies as Centrromochlus musaica<br />

An attractive <strong>new</strong> species: Centromochlus sp.“Ninja”. All photos: Frank Schäfer<br />

At present a total of 11 Centromochlus<br />

species are generally recognized, the<br />

largest being C. schultzi at around 12 cm<br />

long, the majority remaining considerably<br />

smaller. These little <strong>catfish</strong>es would make<br />

ideal aquarium fishes and some are very<br />

prettily colored. But unfortunately there is<br />

one major catch: these fishes are extremely<br />

light-shy and strictly nocturnal. Only in<br />

darkness do they come out of their hidingplaces<br />

and busy themselves looking for<br />

food. Again very unusual for <strong>catfish</strong>es, they<br />

do this by preference close to the water’s<br />

surface. Their favorite foods are live<br />

mosquito larvae, fruit-flies, and the like, but<br />

they are exceptionally greedy and can also<br />

easily be fed on frozen foods. It is even<br />

important to make sure that the fishes in<br />

the aquarium don’t become obese on too<br />

rich a diet.<br />

A few weeks ago Aquarium Glaser for the<br />

first time imported a Centromochlus<br />

species from Brazil (more precise details

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<strong>Aqualog</strong><strong>new</strong>s NUMBER 92 15<br />

Note the interesting structure of the upper-jaw barbels.<br />

are so far not available) whose spectacular coloration makes it<br />

seemed destined to become a much-prized aquarium fish. The<br />

species exhibits certain similarities to Centromochlus concolor from<br />

Guyana, but has a quite distinct coloration. On the basis of<br />

information currently available the species is probably as yet<br />

undescribed scientifically. The specimens imported measure 4-6<br />

cm in length.<br />

Obviously there isn’t too much that can be said about the<br />

maintenance, let alone the breeding, of such <strong>new</strong> imports.<br />

However, so far these fishes have proved comparable to<br />

Centromochlus perugiae, which is also why this species has been<br />

discussed in some detail above.<br />

The structure of the upper-jaw barbels in these <strong>catfish</strong>es is very<br />

interesting. While the lower-jaw barbels extend more or less rigidly<br />

downwards, the upper-jaw barbels can be folded backwards, and<br />

this is essentially what the <strong>catfish</strong>es do when at rest. So that the<br />

barbels won’t lie across the large eye - a typical character of<br />

nocturnal and crepuscular fishes – in the resting position, they have<br />

a downward-pointing concavity. When the fishes swim around in<br />

search of food or to orient themselves, the upper-jaw barbels are<br />

unfolded and their special structure becomes apparent.<br />

Lexicon:<br />

Centromochlus:from the ancient Greek "with a Hebelstab", referring to the<br />

pectoral-fin spines, which can be fixed in place with a locking mechanism.<br />

perugiae:<br />

dedication name<br />

in honor of A.<br />

Perugia, who was<br />

an ichthyologist at<br />

the museum in<br />

Triest.<br />

Tatia:in honor of<br />

Charles Tate<br />

Regan, who was<br />

an ichthyologist at<br />

the British<br />

Museum.<br />

concolor: Latin,<br />

meaning “all the<br />

same color”.<br />

Discus Royal Blue Nhamunda<br />

Barbus fasciatus wild<br />

A c t u a l<br />

i m p o r t s f r o m<br />

a l l o v e r t h e<br />

w o r l d<br />

Nannacara adoketa Pseudacanthicus leopardus<br />

Corydoras sp.“New Panda” CW 49<br />

Discus Heckel Jatapu<br />

Channa sp.“Dwarf Redfin”<br />

w w w . a q u a r i u m g l a s e r . d e