Already in 1766 this catfish was described by Linné. It is one of the most widespread species in South America. It has been reported from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador, Peru, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Uruguay, Colombia and Venezuela. In the course of the centuries many synonyms accumulated: 12 times this species was described under different names! However, this is not surprising, if one considers how drastically the young fish differs from the adult animal! The best known synonym is surely A. marmoratus. Under this name we have received now again young animals with a beautiful pattern from Peru. They keep this markings up to a length of about 20 cm, then the dots become smaller and smaller with increasing growth and finally disappear, whereby the up to 60 cm long adult animal appears monochromatic silvery.
Ageneiosus are predatory fish that catch fish with their huge mouths, which contain countless, small teeth. At spawning time, male Ageneiosus develop an enormous dorsal fin spine and a penis-like copulatory organ. With the dorsal-fin spine, the male clamps the female; mating with internal fertilization follows, allowing the female to lay fertilized eggs later. The dorsal fin spine regresses after spawning.
Ageneiosus inermis are magnificent predatory catfish for specialists, zoos and show aquariums.
For our customers: the animals have code 203404 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
