Close-up of head
Ventral view (female)
Male
Male with offspring
Male during spawning
Pair during spawing
Bubble nest
Juvenile
Bubble nest
Four weeks old
Six weeks old
Nine weeks old
Albino
10 mm
5 cm
Albino
 All Fishes Data Sheet | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Megalechis thoracata (Valenciennes, 1840) |
| Common Names | Hoplo Armoured Catfish, Gefleckter Schwielenwels (Germany), Plettet Amazon-pansermalle (Denmark), Prickig Hoplo (Sweden), Spotted Hoplo, Tamuatá (Brazil) |
| Type Locality | Mana River, French Guiana. |
| Synonym(s) | Callichthys exaratus, Callichthys personatus, Hoplosternum personatus, Hoplosternum thoracatum niger, Hoplosternum thoracatum surinamensis, Hoplosternum thoracatum thoracatum, Hyplosternum thoracatum, Megalechis personata |
| Pronunciation | MEG ah LEK iss |
| Etymology | Megalechis: From the Greek megas, meaning large and lekis, meaning plate; in allusion to the extreme development of the coracoid bones on the breast of fully developed males. Named after the genus Callichthys, which refers to the armour plates (Callum = hard skin; ichthys = fish) found in all members of this family. |
| Species Information | |
| Size | 124mm or 4.9" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp. |
| Sexing | In Dianema, Hoplosternum, Lepthoplosternum and Megalechis (but not in Callichthys), the coracoid bones are at least partially exposed and expanded medially. In Dianema, Hoplosternum and Megalechis, these medial expansions of the coracoids are especially developed, covering most of the skin between the pectoral fins and sometimes overlapping at the midline in fully developed mature males (vs. not fully covering the abdominal skin and not overlapping in females). Also, mature males of Callichthys, Dianema, Hoplosternum, Lepthoplosternum, and Megalechis have a thick adipose body on the ventral surface of the pectoral fin. Mature females of Dianema, Hoplosternum and Megalechis have a small fold of skin on the external face of the leading pelvic-fin ray. In Dianema, Hoplosternum, Lepthoplosternum and Megalechis (but not in Callichthys), the coracoid bones are at least partially exposed and expanded medially. In Dianema, Hoplosternum and Megalechis, these medial expansions of the coracoids are especially developed, covering most of the skin between the pectoral fins and sometimes overlapping at the midline in fully developed mature males (vs. not fully covering the abdominal skin and not overlapping in females). Also, mature males of Callichthys, Dianema, Hoplosternum, Lepthoplosternum, and Megalechis have a thick adipose body on the ventral surface of the pectoral fin. Mature females of Dianema, Hoplosternum and Megalechis have a small fold of skin on the external face of the leading pelvic-fin ray. |
| Habitat Information | |
| Distribution | South America 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, Paraguay, Upper Paraguay (click on these areas to find other species found there) Guyana Waters, Coastal Rivers of Guyanas (click on these areas to find other species found there) Trinidad rivers (click on these areas to find other species found there) Maranhão waters, Itapicurú (Maranhão) (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map. |
| IUCN Red List Category | Least Concern , a distribution map is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2020. |
| pH | 5.5 - 8.2 |
| Temperature | 17.0-28.0°C or 62.6-82.4°F (Show species within this range) |
| Other Parameters | Able to survive in poor water conditions. |
| Husbandry Information | |
| Breeding Reports | There is no breeding report. |
| Further Information | |
| Reference | Histoire naturelle des poissons v. 15, pp309, Pl. 443. |
| Registered Keepers | There are 2 registered keepers, view all "my fish" data. |
| 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 11 records of this fish being seen, view them all. |
| More Resources | |
| Forum BBCode | |
 | Look up M. thoracata on PlanetCatfish.com |
 | Look up M. thoracata on Fishbase |
 | Look up M. thoracata on Encyclopedia of Life |
 | Look up M. thoracata on Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| LFS label creator ARN ref:1.1.10.14 | |
| Last Update | Fri Nov 04, 2022 10:03 am (Species record created: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am) |