Even keepers specialized in whiptail catfish will hardly know this fish. Until now only preserved specimens or pictures of animals photographed in the field were known. Now we were able for the first time ever to import some specimens alive from Venezuela. The species has been described in 1869 from Peru.
These fish are extremely sensitive. Our supplier reports that he has big difficulties during the acclimatization of the fish. The reasons for these difficulties are unknown. The way the fish hold their pectoral and ventral fins (like spoilers) may be a hint that these whiptail cats are adopted to strong current (a so-called rheophilic species).
The species is said to attain a length of about 15 cm. This means that our specimens are fully grown or at least sexually mature. If they represent the “real” Rh. macromystax or a close, still undescribed relative, cannot be decided by us. The genus is only insufficient researched.
For our customers: the animals have code 287255 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Only very few specimens available!
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
