The firewood catfish (''Sorubimichthys planiceps'') a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

South American South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

pimelodid

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

, is the sole member of the genus ''Sorubimichthys''. Known by locals along the

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

as ''peixe-lenha'', the firewood catfish is so called because it is of little eating value and is often dried and used for firewood.Sorubimichthys planiceps (Spix & Agassiz, 1829)
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Distribution and habitat

Firewood catfish occur in the

Orinoco The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...

and

s. It is normally found in

whitewater Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...

high in suspended sediments.

Appearance and anatomy

This species attains about 150 cm (4 ft) in

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

. These fish change in appearance as they grow. In adults, the upper jaw is extremely long, about one-third the length of the snout. The dorsum is ash-gray with darker spots. The sides have a white band, bordered below by a dark gray or brown band. The venter is usually white with some large spots. The

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

and

adipose fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as s ...

are spotted. However, in juveniles, the snout is short and the

pectoral fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

s are large and rounded. The white band does not appear until the fish is about 40 0m (1.6 in). The full adult color pattern and fin shapes appear by at least 20 cm (8 in).

Ecology

This fish is mainly

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

. Firewood catfish are highly predatory and feed on other fish.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:catfish, firewood firewood catfish Fish of Bolivia Freshwater fish of Brazil Freshwater fish of Colombia Freshwater fish of Ecuador Freshwater fish of Peru Fish of Venezuela Fish of the Amazon basin firewood catfish firewood catfish