AquaticRepublic.com - Sorubim lima (Pimelodidae) All Fishes

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All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Sorubim lima** (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Common Names	Lima Shovelnose Duck-beak Catfish, Duckbill Catfish, Hockey Stick Catfish, Lsn, Sortstribet Spademalle (Denmark), Spatelwels (Germany)
Type Locality	Rio Maranham, Brazil.
Synonym(s)	Platystoma lima, Platystoma luceri, Silurus gerupensis, Silurus lima, Sorubim infraoculare, Sorubim latirostris
Pronunciation	sarw oo bim - lee mah
Etymology	Sorubi is the Brazilian local name for this fish (and several other pimelodids), latinised to become Sorubim. This specific epithet literally means "a file" (lima=a file) and refers to its exposed pre-maxillary tooth patch.
Species Information
Size	530mm or 20.9" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	No other pimelodid genus possesses a dark horizontal stripe stretching entire length of head and body. Some fish grow larger (particularly in the wild) than the size given here perhaps indicating a difference between the sexes or a group of species.
Sexing	Unknown
Habitat Information
Distribution	South America: Amazon, Orinoco, Paraná and Parnaíba River basins. Syntopic with S. elongatus in the Orinoco basin and with S. elongatus and S. maniradii in the upper Amazon drainage of Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Amazon (click on these areas to find other species found there) Orinoco (click on these areas to find other species found there) La Plata, Paraná (click on these areas to find other species found there) Piauí Rivers, Parnaíba (click on these areas to find other species found there) La Plata, Uruguay, Middle Uruguay (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 2018.
pH	6.2 - 7.2
Temperature	23.0-30.0°C or 73.4-86°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	To best replicate this fish's natural habitat the water should be neutral and soft.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Carnivore that can be trained to accept most foods but patience is often required in this regard. Younger fish are more adaptable to new foods. User data.
Furniture	Large pieces of driftwood placed so as to form "tree roots". This effect is easily accomplished by attaching suction cups to the driftwood and "sticking" the wood to the back and sides of the tank. Plants will have to be chosen carefully as S. lima will sometimes dig.
Compatibility	Predatory and thus unsafe with anything small enough to be eaten, but otherwise very peaceful.
Suggested Tankmates	They are quite sociable as big cats go and it is possible to keep a group of these catfish in one tank. Three Lima shovelnoses would do well as a group in a large enough tank. This is especially true if all three are raised in the same tank together. Other tankmates must be chosen with great care. Large cichlids could be experimented with, but should not be aggressive species. Large plecos and other catfishes would be great tank-mates.
Breeding	The Lima shovel nose has not been bred in captivity. There is one report that a pair laid eggs in a nest they constructed in the aquarium, but no fry hatched.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	M. E. Blochii, Systema Ichthyologiae, pp 384.
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 10 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
Forum BBCode

	Look up S. lima on PlanetCatfish.com
	Look up S. lima on Fishbase
	Look up S. lima on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up S. lima on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.15.44.98
Last Update	2025 Jan 02 01:39 (species record created: 2001 Apr 22 00:00)