AquaticRepublic.com - Auchenipterus nigripinnis (Auchenipteridae) All Fishes

All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Auchenipterus nigripinnis** (Boulenger, 1895)
Common Name	Paraguay Shark-cat
Type Locality	Paraguay.
Synonym(s)	Auchenipterus paysanduanus, Euanemus nigripinnis
Pronunciation	awk en NIP terr uss
Etymology	Auchenipterus: From the Greek, auchenos, meaning neck and pteron, meaning fin; in reference to the long cranial shield, which gives the appearance that the dorsal fin originates at the neck region.
Species Information
Size	202mm or 8" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Looks very much like a juvenile Pangasianodon hypophthalmus to the untrained eye. More barbels and the tail pattern should give it away.
Sexing	Males have a genital papilla, thickened maxillary barbels and an enlarged dorsal spine. Sexually mature at 80 mm SL.
General Remarks	Active during the day, which makes this a very visible auchenipterid.
Habitat Information
Distribution	South America: La Plata River basin to Argentina. La Plata (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
IUCN Red List Category	Least Concern , range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2020.
Temperature	10.0-28.0°C or 50-82.4°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	Can be found in waters with a temperature as low as 10°C so if kept at more normal tropical temperatures heavy aeration is advised.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Feeds happily on all kinds of food. User data.
Furniture	This species does hardly hide. It usually rests on the sand or in plants; certainly not in driftwood. Free swimming space is much more important.
Suggested Tankmates	Very skittish. Avoid fishes that are (too) curious, territorial and/or may nip or even bite.
Breeding	Unreported.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1895 (pt 3), pp 524.
Registered Keepers	There is no registered keeper.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There is no wish to keep this species.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 3 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
Forum BBCode

	Look up A. nigripinnis on PlanetCatfish.com
	Look up A. nigripinnis on Fishbase
	Look up A. nigripinnis on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up A. nigripinnis on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.22.194.2384
Last Update	2025 Jan 02 00:48 (species record created: 2008 Apr 25 07:24)