Agamyxis pectinifrons

Comb catfish ( Agamyxis pectinifrons )

The comb catfish, also star catfish ( Agamyxis pectinifrons ) belongs to the family Doradidae, the mandrel catfish. It is native to the rivers of South America. The distribution area includes the upper Amazon River and its tributaries in Peru, Ecuador and Brazil. He is 11 to 15 inches tall. The achievable age is 20 to 30 years. The catfish are generally nocturnal, during the day they hide in caves or crevices under wood or sand.

Features

The flattened body possesses, as well as the fins, a dark brown color with white dots, hence the name star catfish. This color is a perfect camouflage on dark and muddy soils of the South American rivers. At the foot sit four, each paired barbels, so the animals can search the ground for food efficiently. They are both tactile and olfactory organ.

Fins formula

• Dorsal fifth
• Anal 1/11
• Pectoral fifth

Reproduction

During the rainy season the rivers carry large amounts of water with many particles, but especially small prey. Through this, the animals are stimulated to mate. Pregnant females lay off up to 1,000 transparent, pale green eggs, which are 1.2 to 1.5 mm in size and irregularly shaped. After about 40 hours the hatch 3 mm long juvenile fish larvae. On the first three days they live on their yolk sacs, followed by the small animals in the water.

Hunting and

Recommended water values: