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Scientific Name Sorubimichthys planiceps  (Spix & Agassiz, 1829)
Common Names Firewood Catfish
Acha Cubo (Peruvian), Cabo De Hacha (Colombian), Doncella (Venezuelan), Guerevere (Peruvian), Økseskaftmalle (Denmark), Paletona (Venezuelan), Peixe-lenha (Brazilian), Spatelwels (Germany)
Type Locality Amazon River basin, Solimões, Rio Negro.
Synonym(s) Platystoma planiceps, Platystoma spatula, Pteroglanis manni, Sorubim jandia, Sorubimichthys ortoni, Sorubimichthys spatula
Pronunciation saw rue bim ick thees - pla neh seps
Etymology Sorubi is the Brazilian local name for this fish (and several other pimelodids) +(Greek)ichthys=fish. The specific epithet, planiceps meaning flathead.
Hop to next section Species Information
Size 1500mm or 59.1" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification Body has an overall cylindrical shape. Very flattened head. Large long caudal fin. In large specimens the upper jaw surpasses the lower. Overall coloration and color pattern varies greatly over the animal's range, but the fish generall has a broad cream stripe reaching from the gill cover to the caudal peduncle. This light colored stripe may or may not be bordered by darker stripes.
Sexing Unknown. Overall adults sizes for females are reported as larger than those of males.
General Remarks The largest specimen reported from the Amazon was 1.5 meters; Puerto Lopez, Colombia 1.6 meters; Rio Caqueta 97 cm. Considered ''Vulnerable'' to extinction due to overfishing by commercial fisheries. Average adult size captured by commercial fisheries has declined in recent years and now averages under one meter. In Puerto Carreno, on the Rio Orinoco, 5.5 tons of S. planiceps were harvested in 2001. Under Colombian law, specimens under 95 cm may not be retained. This would also make the small specimens imported for the aquarium trade illegal. Sadly, this law is rarely enforced.
Hop to next section Habitat Information
Distribution South America: Amazon and Orinoco River basins.
Orinoco (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Orinoco, Upper Orinoco, Guaviare (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Orinoco, Upper Orinoco, Guaviare, Upper Guaviare, Guayabero (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Amazon (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Amazon, Middle Amazon (Solimoes), Japurá, Caquetá (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Orinoco, Middle Orinoco, Meta (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Orinoco, Middle Orinoco, Meta, Metica (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Amazon, Upper Amazon, Putumayo (click on these areas to find other species found there)

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IUCN Red List Category Least Concern, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2020.
pH 6.0 - 7.6
Temperature 24.0-28.0°C or 75.2-82.4°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters Normally found in whitewaters high in suspended sediments.
Hop to next section Husbandry Information
Feeding A voracious predator that consumes other fishes. User data.
Furniture With an adult size reaching almost five feet, this fish would require a massive tank. The substrate should be sand with large stones and driftwood providing hiding places. The water current should be strong with a high oxygen content.
Compatibility Other fishes with similar water requirements that are too large to be swallowed whole.
Suggested Tankmates Other large catfishes of the families Pimelodidae or Doradidae.
Breeding Unreported. Juveniles appear during the onset of the rainy season.
Breeding Reports There is no breeding report.
Hop to next section Further Information
Reference Selecta genera et species piscium quos in itinere per Brasiliam, pp 25, Pl. 12.
Registered Keepers There is no registered keeper.
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There are 6 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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Last Update 2020 Nov 08 05:14 (species record created: 2001 Apr 22 00:00)