Scoloplax

The spined bullhead are a genus ( Scoloplax ) and family ( Scoloplacidae ) from the order of catfish -like ( Siluriformes ). It occurs with five species in South America in the Amazon, Rio Tocantins, Paraná and Río Paraguay.

Features

Spined bullhead are small, no more than 20 mm long fish. Her head is flat and wide with eyes on the top and a small, easily from constant mouth. Barbels sit at the upper and lower jaw and temple. Between the nostrils is a rostral plate with numerous backward curved Hautzähnchen that distinguishes the thorny catfish from all other catfish -like. The body is elongated and relatively slender with double Hautzähnchen - bearing bone plate rows of the dorsal fin and the anal fin to the caudal fin, and a fifth series of this kind from the anus to the anal fin. Hautzähnchen can also occur on other body and also sit on the hard rays of the chest and back fin. The males are smaller than females and have a fleshy flap on the gill cover on. The females have a large, baggy Geschlechtspapille.

The dorsal fin has a strong, smooth hard jet and three to five branched soft rays, the anal fin short a thickened unbranched and four or five branched soft rays. The pectoral fins have a powerful hard jet and three to four branched soft rays. The caudal fin has ten to twelve primary rays. An adipose fin is missing.

Way of life

Spined catfish are nocturnal and hide during the day in leaf residues or between water plants at the bottom of lakes, ponds and rivers rich in vegetation. The rostral dentate may assist in holding the position. An air breathing on the modified digestive tract is probably possible and could be useful in survival in the low-oxygen shallow water areas.

System

There have been described six types of spined bullhead:

  • Scoloplax baileyi Rocha et al. 2,012
  • Scoloplax baskini Rocha, de Oliviera, Py -Daniel, 2008
  • Scoloplax Dicra Bailey, Baskin, 1976

Swell

  • Roberto E. Reis, Sven O. Kullander, Carl J. Ferraris (eds.): Check list of the freshwater fishes of South and Central America. Edipucrs, Porto Alegre 2003, ISBN 8574303615, pp. 310-311.
  • Tim M. Berra: Freshwater Fish Distribution. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 2007, ISBN 9780226044422, pp. 226-228.
Taxonomic rank#All ranks Ostariophysi Loricarioidea Amazon River Tocantins River Barbel (anatomy) Fish fin Amphibious fish Copeia
718603
de