''Hoplias curupira'', also known as the black wolf-fish, has a wide distribution in the
Amazon basin but was described as recently as 2009.
Taxonomy
''Hoplias curupira'' was first formally
described in 2009 by the Brazilian zoologists
Osvaldo Takeshi Oyakawa Osvaldo may refer to the following people:
Given name
*Osvaldo Alonso, Cuban football player
*Osvaldo Ardiles (born 1952), an Argentine football player and coach
*Osvaldo Bagnoli, an Italian football coach
*Osvaldo Brandão, a Brazilian football c ...
&
George Mendes Taliaferro Mattox with the
type locality given as the Rio Itacaiúas, Caldeirão,
Serra dos Carajás
Serra (Latin for " saw") may refer to:
People
* Serra (footballer) (born 1961), Portuguese footballer
* Serra (surname)
* Serra (given name)
Cities, towns, municipalities Brazil
*Serra, Espírito Santo, a city in the Greater Vitória area
*Ampa ...
,
Tocantins basin,
Pará State in Brazil.
The fish is named after
Curupira
The ''Curupira'' () is a mythological creature of Brazilian folklore.
The name comes from the Tupi language ''kuru'pir'', meaning "covered in blisters". According to the cultural legends, this creature has bright red/orange hair, and resembles ...
, a mythical creature of Brazilian folklore that protects the forest and it's inhibitants, sometimes taking the form of a small Amerindian child whose feet are turned backwards, making it difficult to follow its tracks.
Distribution
''Hoplias curupira'' has an extensive distribution across the north of South America, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam and Brazil in the
Orinoco,
Rio Negro (Amazon)
The Rio Negro ( pt, Rio Negro, br ; es, Río Negro} "''Black River''"), or Guainía as it is known in its upper part, is the largest left tributary of the Amazon River (accounting for about 14% of the water in the Amazon basin), the largest ...
and its tributaries,
Rio Tocantins,
Rio Xingu
The Xingu River ( ; pt, Rio Xingu, ; Mẽbêngôkre: ''Byti'', ) is a river in north Brazil. It is a southeast tributary of the Amazon River and one of the largest clearwater rivers in the Amazon basin, accounting for about 5% of its water.
...
and
Rio Negro (Amazon)
The Rio Negro ( pt, Rio Negro, br ; es, Río Negro} "''Black River''"), or Guainía as it is known in its upper part, is the largest left tributary of the Amazon River (accounting for about 14% of the water in the Amazon basin), the largest ...
.
Habitat
''Hoplias curupire'' is found in large rivers and igarapés,
[ i.e. routes that are navigable by canoes.]
Description
''Hoplias curupira'' are medium-sized but relatively bulky in build compared to other ''Hoplias'' with a blunt head and broad body. The colour of the fish changes according to mood from a light brown patterning to an almost solid black colouring leading to the common English name of Black Wolf-fish. In captivity the average size is 40 cm but wild specimens have been reported at up to 75 cm in length.[
]
Habits
Like other members of the genus ''Hoplias'', ''H. curupira'' is an ambush predator
Ambush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey via stealth, luring or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an element of surprise. Unlike pursuit predators, who chase to capture prey ...
on various insects, larvae, small fishes, shrimps, worms and fruits[http://thewebsiteofeverything.com/animals/fish/Characiformes/Erythrinidae/Hoplias-curupira]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6421504
Fish of South America
Erythrinidae
Taxa named by Osvaldo Takeshi Oyakawa
Fish described in 2009