All FishesHeptapteridaeRhamdia  |  | 

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Scientific Name Rhamdia quelen  (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
Common Names Silver Catfish
Bagre (Central & South America), Bagre De Arroyo (Venezuelan), Barbilla (Peruvian), Barbudo (Peruvian), Canyon Catfish, Djaki Catfish, Jandia (Brazilian), Nhandia (Brazilian), Quelen-Antennenwels (Germany)
Type Locality Cachoeira de Macacu, tributary of the Rio Soarinho, Rio Macacu drainage, Baía de Guanabara hydrographic basin, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, 22°38'6"S, 42°43'6"W.
Synonym(s) Caecorhamdella urichi, Caecorhamdia urichi, Pimelenotus vilsoni, Pimelodus baronismuelleri, Pimelodus cinerascens, Pimelodus cuyabae, Pimelodus deppei, Pimelodus godmanni, Pimelodus hilarii, Pimelodus micropterus, Pimelodus musculus, Pimelodus namdia, Pimelodus parahybae, Pimelodus pentlandii, Pimelodus queleni cuprea, Pimelodus sebae, Pimelodus sellonis, Pimelodus stegelichii, Pimelodus wagneri, Pimelodus wuchereri, Rhamdia barbata, Rhamdia baronismuelleri, Rhamdia bransfordii, Rhamdia cinerascens, Rhamdia depressa, Rhamdia godmani, Rhamdia guatemalensis depressa, Rhamdia heteracantha, Rhamdia hilarii, Rhamdia lehmanni, Rhamdia microps, Rhamdia mounseyi, Rhamdia nasuta, Rhamdia pentlandi, Rhamdia pubescens, Rhamdia riojae, Rhamdia sayaensis, Rhamdia sebae, Rhamdia vilsoni, Rhamdia wagneri, Silurus rivularis
Pronunciation ram dee ah - kwee (or KEY) lenn
Etymology The name Rhamdia is apparently a misspelling of 'nhamdiâ', an orthographic variant of the Tupi-Guarani name for the fish, 'jandiá'. The species is named after the abbe Quelen, who accompanied Quoy and Gaimard on their travels.
Hop to next section Species Information
Size 350mm or 13.8" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification It is distinguished from congeners in having the following unique combination of characters: pectoral fin spine with serrae on both sides, caudal fin lobes subequal or with either lobe slightly longer, posterior nostril velum open posterolaterally, gill raker 5-16, post-Weberian vertebrae 36-44, eye medium sized.
Sexing The genital papilla of males tends to be larger and more well developed.
Hop to next section Habitat Information
Distribution Central and South America: Suriname and Argentina.
Amazon (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Tuy (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Orinoco (click on these areas to find other species found there)
La Plata (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)
La Plata, Paraná, Paranapanema, Tibagi, Pitangui, Verde (Pitangui) (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Rio de Janeiro State Rivers (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 2018.
pH 4.0 - 8.0
Temperature 18.0-28.0°C or 64.4-82.4°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters Able to tolerate a wide range of water conditions.
Hop to next section Husbandry Information
Feeding Not a fussy eater and will take all manner of prepared and live foods. Will eat smaller tankmates. User data.
Furniture Some driftwood/rocks/pipes as hiding spaces.
Compatibility Should only be housed with large, robust fish (large central American cichlids are ideal), as smaller tankmates will be eaten. Territorial and aggressive towards conspecifics.
Suggested Tankmates Large, robust fish (such as central American cichlids).
Breeding Not reported in aquarium, but bred for aquaculture as food fish. Non-adhesive demersal eggs (1.1 to 2.8 mm diameter) are laid down, hatching after about 48 hours at 22°C. Ten days later, the larvae weigh approximately 100 mg but growth is slow (0.5 to 1.15 g per day).
Breeding Reports There is no breeding report.
Hop to next section Further Information
Reference Voyage autour du monde, pp 228, Pl. 49 (figs. 3-4).
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 2021 Sep 01 14:53 (species record created: 2002 May 23 00:00)