AquaticRepublic.com - Trachelyopterus galeatus (Auchenipteridae) All Fishes

Pale appearance if given white pipe to hide in
Sperm case found after spawning activity
Sperm case found after spawning activity
From French Guiana
Close-up of head
From Suriname
Feeding
Frontal view
Lower Rio Tapajós
Habitat: floating grasses, Rio Tapajós
Rio Formoso in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Habitat in Rio Formoso in Mato Grosso do Sul

All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Trachelyopterus galeatus** (Linnaeus, 1766)
Common Names	Common Woodcat Stor Drivtømmermalle (Denmark)
Type Locality	South America [possibly Suriname River].
Synonym(s)	Auchenipterus maculosus, Parauchenipterus galeatus, Parauchenipterus paseae, Pseudauchenipterus galeatus, Silurus galeatus, Trachycorystes galeatus
Pronunciation	gal ee ATT uss
Etymology	Trachelyopterus: From the Greek, trachelos, 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	220mm or 8.7" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Colouration is key to this fish; it has set out to imitate a piece of wood and certainly succeeds. Youngsters especially are hard to spot and spend most of their time crammed into woody crevices. The pattern and colouration of this fish is very variable. Firstly, amongst individuals as environmental parameters such as water and lighting change. Secondly, in the wild it has a huge distribution range of pretty much most of tropical South America. This gives rise to many regional colour variations.
Sexing	Male has a slightly concave anal fin, which is slightly convex in the female. The leading rays of the male's anal fin are fused to form a urinogenital organ used in internal fertilization of the female. This modification of the anal fin does not manifest itself until the fish is at least 75% grown.
Habitat Information
Distribution	South America: Widespread in northern South America, including Peru and Argentina. Amazon (click on these areas to find other species found there) Guyana Waters, Coastal Rivers of Guyanas, Suriname Coastal Rivers, Marowijne, Upper Marowijne, Grand Inini (click on these areas to find other species found there) Log in to view data on a map.
IUCN Red List Category	Least Concern, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2020.
pH	6.0 - 7.5
Temperature	20.0-24.0°C or 68-75.2°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	Slightly soft water is preferable but in no way vital - this is a hardy fish.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Most prepared foods are taken. Live or frozen foods will promote fast growth although are not necessary to maintain this fish in good condition. Care should be taken not to feed dry foods which expand after contact with water. This fish is a glutton and will eat all food present; if this subsequently expands inside the fish it may cause internal injury. Presoak these foods before use. User data.
Furniture	Juveniles (smaller than 2'') require tangles of bogwood within which to hide. Floating plants or clumps of Java moss are also helpful. Larger fish require a cave each and this is most easily achieved with lengths of black PVC drain pipe.
Compatibility	A boisterous fish that likes to throw its weight around but in no way aggressively. Smaller fish are at risk purely because of the fishes large mouth and nocturnal prowling.
Suggested Tankmates	A boisterous fish that likes to throw its weight around but in no way aggressively. Smaller fish are at risk purely because of the fishes large mouth and nocturnal prowlings.
Breeding	Not recorded in the aquarium. As mentioned before internal fertilization is utilized by this and most other genera in this family of catfish. The male internally produces a jelly-like substance which carries and protects his sperm once it is transferred to the female via the modified anal fin. Females can carry this sperm for up to 4 months before it is actually used in egg-laying. The male is not required and isn't usually present at this time. Two female fish in a UK Public Aquarium spawned in the absence of a male, producing huge numbers of gelatinous eggs, sufficient to form a layer several eggs thick over a considerable area of the base of a 1000 gallon aquarium. It is assumed that the eggs swell considerably once they have left the body of the female. It would appear that the gelatinous coating provides protection from fungal or bacterial invasion, as in spite of being infertile they took longer than expected to decay.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Systema naturae sive regna tria naturae v. 1 (pt 1), pp 503
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 13 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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	Look up T. galeatus on PlanetCatfish.com
	Look up T. galeatus on Fishbase
	Look up T. galeatus on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up T. galeatus on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
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Last Update	2020 Nov 08 03:10 (species record created: 2001 Apr 13 00:00)