Mystery Cat

james sing · Post by **james sing** » 27 Oct 2009, 14:00

Anyone have any idea what this is? He's about ten inches long and is a mother of pearl white.

Chrysichthys · Post by **Chrysichthys** » 27 Oct 2009, 14:19

Maybe a half-grown ? It would help if you had a pic showing a side view of it.

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 27 Oct 2009, 15:19

I think you are correct, even without a side view

Richard B · Post by **Richard B** » 27 Oct 2009, 16:33

Chrysichthys wrote:Maybe a half-grown
Calophysus macropterus
? It would help if you had a pic showing a side view of it.

I think not. The reason for this is Calophysus have a very long adipose fin which starts where the dorsal ends - the pic seems to show a small adipose located much further back on the body

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 27 Oct 2009, 16:45

Richard B wrote:I think not. The reason for this is Calophysus have a very long adipose fin which starts where the dorsal ends - the pic seems to show a small adipose located much further back on the body

Well noticed!
So, we'll need a side view after all....

Richard B · Post by **Richard B** » 27 Oct 2009, 16:48

Nothing seems to spring to mind as to what this actually is.....(from cat-e-log anyway

)

I wonder if it is a hybrid pim we've not encountered yet, if Silurus happens to be around anytime soon, he would be able to push us in the right direction i'm sure

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 27 Oct 2009, 16:51

I just checked the Pimelodidae and it's difficult indeed.
On a side note: I'm still wondering why have been placed into Pimelodidae. Certainly not based on looks

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 27 Oct 2009, 19:02

it could be a juvenile , the mother of pearl sheen fits, as well as the small eyes, the broad head, the small adipose and the tiny eyes....

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 27 Oct 2009, 20:30

I could be way off, but in the photo, it appears the fish is adhering to something.....suckermouth?
Amanda

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 28 Oct 2009, 10:23

bronzefry wrote:I could be way off, but in the photo, it appears the fish is adhering to something.....suckermouth?
Amanda

Come on Amanda, get your glasses on ;)

It's definitely a Pimelodidae or something very similar looking (and it definitely looks like it's got 6 barbels, two of which are quite long, so it's not one of the Asian "pim-lookalikes").

These fish do, especially with a lack of hiding spaces, sit along a vertical surface.

--
Mats

Chrysichthys · Post by **Chrysichthys** » 28 Oct 2009, 10:38

sidguppy wrote:the small eyes, the broad head, the small adipose and the tiny eyes....

I can only see two eyes.

Richard B · Post by **Richard B** » 28 Oct 2009, 12:50

In conversation with 'JT' Morris many years ago he related a tale about an unknown pim that deported head up, tail on the bottom by the power filter return in his tank. This was despite there being loads of room & plenty of hiding places if the fish so desired, but no, even in great health, it continued to spend 90% of it's time like this. It was not infected or stressed or anything other than in perfect helth , good water etc. His enquiries eventually led him to conversation with some scientific expert on pims, who after listening to what JT had to say, told him that it was such-&-such genera (i can't remember) which mostly live in the extreme conditions at the bases of waterfalls etc. They swim head up in the flow to catch stunned prey items carried by the flow & this is what it was trying to do in the artificial confines of the aquarium.

Richard B · Post by **Richard B** » 28 Oct 2009, 12:54

sidguppy wrote:it could be a juvenile
Luciopimelodus pati
, the mother of pearl sheen fits, as well as the small eyes, the broad head, the small adipose and the tiny eyes....

I looked at this as it seems a close-ish match for all the points Sid raises but the adipose still seems far too long on L.Pati compared to what seems to be a small adipose much further away from the dorsal in the originator's pic

jimoo · Post by **jimoo** » 28 Oct 2009, 13:18

Richard B wrote:In conversation with 'JT' Morris many years ago he related a tale about an unknown pim that deported head up, tail on the bottom by the power filter return in his tank. This was despite there being loads of room & plenty of hiding places if the fish so desired, but no, even in great health, it continued to spend 90% of it's time like this. It was not infected or stressed or anything other than in perfect helth , good water etc. His enquiries eventually led him to conversation with some scientific expert on pims, who after listening to what JT had to say, told him that it was such-&-such genera (i can't remember) which mostly live in the extreme conditions at the bases of waterfalls etc. They swim head up in the flow to catch stunned prey items carried by the flow & this is what it was trying to do in the artificial confines of the aquarium.

That is a fascinating life strategy / niche.

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 28 Oct 2009, 13:36

MatsP wrote:
bronzefry wrote:I could be way off, but in the photo, it appears the fish is adhering to something.....suckermouth?
Amanda
Come on Amanda, get your glasses on ;)

It's definitely a Pimelodidae or something very similar looking (and it definitely looks like it's got 6 barbels, two of which are quite long, so it's not one of the Asian "pim-lookalikes").

These fish do, especially with a lack of hiding spaces, sit along a vertical surface.

--
Mats

I do have bad eyesight!

A side view would be helpful....photo 22 of 22 of C.macropterus, but the length of the snout to the eyes and then to the dorsal fin?
Amanda

Chrysichthys · Post by **Chrysichthys** » 28 Oct 2009, 14:31

I remember reading somewhere that the tendency of Sorubim lima to hang vertically is an adaptation to disguise itself among reeds.

Personally I think that in most cases when it happens in an aquarium, it's displacement behaviour due to the fish not being in a shoal.

Suckermouth · Post by **Suckermouth** » 28 Oct 2009, 16:27

Chrysichthys wrote:I remember reading somewhere that the tendency of Sorubim lima to hang vertically is an adaptation to disguise itself among reeds.

Yup.

See here: http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2007f/zt01422p029.pdf

Chrysichthys · Post by **Chrysichthys** » 28 Oct 2009, 17:18

Yes, that quotes Burgess, which is probably where I read it. There don't seem to be any observations of it in the wild, though.

shawntraviss · Post by **shawntraviss** » 02 Nov 2009, 10:22

Young ?

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 03 Nov 2009, 22:07

I think we have a winner.....

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