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The Living Encyclopedia
Explore our comprehensive database of reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. Discover detailed care guides, morph varieties, and community setups.
fish
Cuckoo Catfish
Synodontis multipunctatus
Synodontis multipunctatus, also known as the cuckoo catfish, cuckoo squeaker, or multipunk, is a small catfish from Lake Tanganyika, one of the lakes in the Great Rift Valley system in Africa. It is a brood parasite upon mouthbrooding cichlids. This species grows to a length of 27.5 centimetres (10.8 in) TL. This species is a minor component of local commercial fisheries.
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Red Tail Catfish
Phractocephalus hemioliopterus
The redtail catfish, is a large species of South American pimelodid (long-whiskered) catfish. It is known in Venezuelan Spanish as cajaro; in Guyana, it is known as a banana catfish, and in Brazil it is known as pirarara, a fusion of words from the indigenous Tupi language: pirá and arara. It is the only extant species of its genus, Phractocephalus.
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Tiger Shovelnose Catfish
Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum
Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum is a species of long-whiskered catfish native to Brazil. It inhabits freshwater systems within the Guiana Shield and utilizes both rivers and wetlands as habitat. P. fasciatum have distinct vertical bars across the body, and females are larger in size compared to males. Pseudoplatystoma species are adapted to hydrologic variation, reproducing during highflow events. Catfish possess high sensory organs to detect prey in low light conditions, feeding along the benthos. P. fasciatum is a native species to the Amazon basin where it is a vital resource for food and commerce.
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Iridescent Shark
Pangasianodon hypophthalmus
The iridescent shark or iridescent shark catfish is a species of shark catfish native to the rivers of Southeast Asia. Despite its name, it is not a shark. It is found in the Mekong basin as well as the Chao Phraya River, and is heavily cultivated for food there.
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Paroon Shark
Pangasius sanitwongsei
The giant pangasius, paroon shark, or Chao Phraya giant catfish is a species of large freshwater fish in the shark catfish family (Pangasiidae) of order Siluriformes, found in the Chao Phraya and Mekong basins in Indochina. Its populations have declined drastically, mainly due to overfishing, and it is now considered Critically Endangered.
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Walking Catfish
Clarias batrachus
The walking catfish is a species of freshwater airbreathing catfish native to Southeast Asia. It is named for its ability to "walk" and wiggle across dry land, to find food or suitable environments. While it does not truly walk as most bipeds or quadrupeds do, it can use its pectoral fins to keep it upright as it makes a wiggling motion with snakelike movements to traverse land. This fish normally lives in slow-moving and often stagnant waters in ponds, swamps, streams, and rivers, as well as in flooded rice paddies, or temporary pools that may dry up. When this happens, its "walking" skill allows the fish to move to other aquatic environments. Considerable taxonomic confusion surrounds this species, and it has frequently been confused with other close relatives. One main distinction between the walking catfish and the native North American ictalurid catfish with which it is sometimes confused, is that the walking catfish lacks an adipose fin. It can survive 18 hours out of water.
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Electric Catfish
Malapteruridae
Electric catfish, or Malapteruridae, is a family of catfishes. This family includes two genera, Malapterurus and Paradoxoglanis, with 21 species. Several species of this family have the ability to generate electricity, delivering a shock of up to 350 volts from its electric organ. Electric catfish are found in tropical Africa and the Nile River. Electric catfish are usually nocturnal and carnivorous. Some species feed primarily on other fish, incapacitating their prey with electric discharges, but others are generalist bottom foragers, feeding on things like invertebrates, fish eggs, and detritus. The largest can grow to about 1.2 meters long, but most species are far smaller.
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Banjo Catfish
Aspredinidae
The Aspredinidae are a small South American family of catfishes also known as the banjo catfishes, with about 43 species.
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Talking Catfish
Platydoras armatulus
Acanthodoras spinosissimus, the talking catfish, is a species of thorny catfish found in the Amazon and Essequibo River basins, occurring in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Peru. This species grows to 13.7 cm (5.4 in) in SL and can be found in the aquarium trade. This species is reported to produce toxic fluids.
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Spotted Raphael Catfish
Agamyxis pectinifrons
Agamyxis pectinifrons, the spotted talking catfish, spotted raphael catfish or whitebarred catfish, is a species of thorny catfish found in the Amazon basin where it has been recorded from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru. This species grows to a length of 15 centimetres (5.9 in) SL.
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Bumblebee Catfish
Microglanis iheringi
Microglanis iheringi is a species of South American catfish described by Alcides Lourenço Gomes in 1945. The species belongs to the genus Microglanis, a group of catfishes that are native to South America and which are distributed widely throughout the region. M. iheringi is endemic to the Orinoco river basin and populations are present in parts of Colombia and Venezuela. One estimate places the total population at more than 10,000 individuals.
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Stone Catfish
Hara jerdoni
Hara jerdoni, common name in English Sylhet Hara; also known as Asian Stone Catfish, or Dwarf Anchor Catfish, is a species of South Asian river catfish native to northeastern India and Bangladesh. This species grows to a length of 4 centimetres (1.6 in) TL. It is sometimes seen in the aquarium trade.
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Whiptail Catfish
Rineloricaria
Rineloricaria is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Loricariidae, the mailed catfishes, and the subfamily Loricariinae, the suckermouth armored catfishes. This genus is one of the most speciose genus of mailed catfishes. The catfishes in this genus are found in rivers southern Central America and northern and central South America. Species from this genus are found in the aquarium trade.
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Farlowella
Farlowella
Farlowella is a genus of catfish in the family Loricariidae native to South America. It is broadly distributed in the Amazon, Orinoco and Paraná rivers as well as coastal rivers of the Guyana Shield, but absent from the Pacific slope of the Andes and from the coastal rivers of the Brazilian Shield. Species of this genus have an extremely slender and elongated body resembling a thin stick of wood. There is a pronounced rostrum and the body is brownish with two dark stripes beginning at the tip of the rostrum, passing over the eyes and ending at the caudal fin, which are periodically interrupted on the caudal peduncle. Many species are kept in aquariums.
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Twig Catfish
Farlowella acus
Farlowella acus, the whiptail catfish or twig catfish, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Loricariidae, the mailed catfishes, and the subfamily Loricariinae, the armoured suckermouth catfishes. This catfish is found in South America. It is the type species of the genus Farlowella. The whiptail catfish is kept in the aquarium hobby.
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Panda Garra
Garra flavatra
Garra flavatra can also be called Panda Garra, is a species of cyprinid fish in the genus Garra.
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Doctor Fish
Garra rufa
The red garra, also known as the doctor fish or nibble fish, is a species of cyprinid native to a wide range of freshwater habitats in subtropical parts of Western Asia. This small fish typically is up to about 14 cm (5.5 in) in total length, but some individuals can reach as much as 24 cm (9.5 in).
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Weather Loach
Misgurnus fossilis
Misgurnus is a genus of true loaches found in Europe and Asia. The origin of the name Misgurnus comes from the Greek word miseo and the Turkish gür (loud), a name given to them due to their habit of becoming very active during barometric pressure changes that occur during thunderstorms. The common names, weather loach or weatherfish, also derive from this behavior. Some species of misgurnus are eaten, mostly in Asia, and are also sold as pets in the aquarium trade. Their average size can range from 6 to over 12 inches.
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Horseface Loach
Acantopsis choirorhynchos
Acantopsis dialuzona is a loach native to the swift, clear streams and rivers of mainland and archipelagic Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, but Southeast Asia outside its range, including as Acantopsis. A. choirorhynchos because of the lack of taxonomic resolution in Acantopsis. It can also be found in flooded fields.
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Skunk Loach
Yasuhikotakia morleti
The skunk loach, skunk botia or Hora's loach is a species of botiid loach found in the Mekong River basin in Indochina, as well as the Chao Phraya and Mae Klong basins in Thailand. Its maximum size is approximately 10 centimetres (3.9 in). The species occurs in medium to large rivers at temperatures of 26–30 °C (79–86 °F), pH 6.0 to 8.0, and hardness 5.0 to 12.0. It feeds on live crustaceans, insects, snails and other invertebrates.
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