Zungaro zungaro

Zungaro Zungaro, drawing of Castelnau

The Zungarowels ( Zungaro Zungaro ) is a South American giant catfish from the family of catfish, which occurs in the large streams and rivers.

Description

The catfish described by Anglo-Saxon authors as Jelly Giant Catfish or Gilded Catfish is called in Brazil and in Argentina Jaú Manguruyú. The described in 1877 by Franz Steindachner kind Paulicea luetkeni is identical to the Zungarowels. Likewise, the taxon is synonymous Brachyplatystoma flavicans. There are three subspecies: Zungaro for Yahu or Zungaro for mangurus and the nominate Zungaro for Zungaro.

The Zungarowels reaches a weight of 50 kilograms. The current IGFA world record is 49.44 kg, this specimen was caught in Rio Urariquera, in the state of Roraima in Brazil. However, few have been known already weights of up to 150 kilograms and a length of 1.5 meters. Alleged lengths of over two meters are not confirmed. It is characterized by a broad, flattened head. Its mouth is equipped with sharp teeth. The adipose fin is small. The adult fish are coffee brown, the juvenile fish gräulichgelb with dark spots in the shape of a U or a C at the back or at the adipose fin.

Dissemination

Zungarowelse have their main distribution in the northern and central western Amazon region of Brazil, Peru and Bolivia, in the basin of the Araguaia - Tocantins and the Rio São Francisco in eastern Brazil. In Colombia, also you can find local populations of them in the Magdalena River, the Orinoco in Venezuela in the Río Paraguay, Río Iguazú, Río Paraná and Río de la Plata in Argentina. In São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Paraná he is partially inserted.

Way of life

The Zungarowels is a nocturnal catfish which occurs in deep waters and upstream of the major currents in the muddy bottom. One often finds him in the main stream of the river to deep flushed places depressions below rapids and waterfalls. During the dry period, he follows the feeding fish, Prochilodus lineatus mainly, which he follows upstream on the way to their spawning grounds. During the rainy season Zungarowelse penetrate far into the floodplains. It feeds mainly on fish and other small animals. The Jaú developed on the Rio de la Plata is an absolute hiker behavior. It has also been highlighted in the Rio Grande / Minas Gerais catfish that were caught again later in the 8 to 20 meter deep river bed in Funil Reservoir. The spawning maturity is achieved with a weight of about 10 kilograms and a length of about 70 centimeters, while the ovaries of the Rogner can contain over three million eggs. Preferably, the Zungarowels spawns at the mouth of large rivers. In Rio Paraná Zungarowels have spawning season in the months of December to February.

Use

As a sport fish he has a certain importance. As a food fish it is not very appreciated for its meat consistency in Amazonia, greater importance it plays in south-eastern Brazil. The stock at the Rio Paraná and Rio Paraguay is already severely threatened by overfishing. In its original southern area of ​​distribution they have already disappeared in many places in natural waters.