Highwaterman catfish (Hypophthalmus edentatus)

Scientific name: Hypophthalmus edentatus Spix & Agassiz, 1829

Highwaterman catfish (Hypophthalmus edentatus)

The Highwaterman catfish (Hypophthalmus edentatus) is a freshwater fish of the family Pimelodidae. Native range: South America, Amazon and Orinoco River basins and Atlantic coastal rivers of Guyana and Suriname. Reported from Paran? River.

Biology

Pelagic species which lives in schools near the surface of the water. Found over soft muddy bottoms. Has no teeth in its jaws but possesses many long gill rakers that are used as a sieve for feeding on planktonic crustaceans like cladocerans, copepods and ostracods. Also feeds on debris, other plankton. Appears to follow the plankton's vertical movements during the day. Ovaries start to develop I November when the water level rises. Fractional spawning occurs between February and April. The female lays down 50,000 to 100,000 eggs according to its weight. Juveniles inhabit the lower part of streams in estuaries, adult are found more upstream. Marketed fresh and salted.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Hypophthalmus edentatus
Family
Pimelodidae (Long-whiskered catfishes)
Order
Siluriformes (Catfish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
57.5
Common length
45.0
Depth range
37 m (121 ft)
Environment
Freshwater; brackish; pelagic; potamodromous; depth range ? - 37 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
South America: Amazon and Orinoco River basins and Atlantic coastal rivers of Guyana and Suriname. Reported from Paran? River.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.12-0.27)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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