Strange (?) catfish... anyone knows what it is?

[Viktor Jarikov]

Not mine but from here http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... 2-Viewing) ...

[Silurus]

I suspect an auchenipterid-pimelodid hybrid.

[Viktor Jarikov]

Thanks, HH. Wayne The Pain from MFK thinks the same (see the MFK thread).

Joel, also from MFK, wrote to me a PM that I think provides further useful info: "Not sure if it helps but the cat that RangerBlue posted from Shark Aquarium (VJ: Hillside, NJ) has been there for a few years and has not grown at all. There is a tank of 3 or 4 at approx. 5" to 6" if I remember correctly. Very pale in color, long whiskers..."

George, the owner of Shark Aquarium, does not know what they are. As I understood these fish are not for sale but IDK why.

[Jools]

Is it possible to get more pics? Especially the humeral process and the ventral fins/area. The head and eye morphology are that of an auchenipterid, the rest is a pimelodid, possibly

Pimelodus

.

Jools

[wayne the pain]

Hi all, thought i'd come over and see the thoughts of all the catfish addicts on here

[Jools]

I'll have a chat with George and see if we can't figure it out. It will need lots more pics.

Jools

[Viktor Jarikov]

Any luck tracking down good old George, Jools? I understand catfish (well, most anything...) take a back seat to a newborn! Congratulations!

[Jools]

George and I have been talking about the fish, it was imported from Brazil. It occurs to me that getting it to catcon2014 would be a nice idea...

Jools

[Marc van Arc]

it was imported from Brazil.

Given that fact, could it not be a yet unknown Pimelodidae or Heptapteridae?
As an example from another genus (and another continent): I have seen Chrysichthys species with very large eyes, despite the fact that most members of that genus have much smaller eyes.
I doubt that - given the length - this fish would be commercially hybridized; it seems useless as a food fish.
Natural hybridizing seems unlikely, given the fact that Auchenipteridae use internal fertilization.

[Jools]

With thanks to George at Shark Aquarium and @TwoTankAmin, the fish in question is now swimming around in one of my tanks. I am pretty confident it's a pimelodid. Here's recent iPhone pic, I have more "proper" camera pics/angles if anyone is interested.

[Viktor Jarikov]

Nice! The fish moved to UK!

If I read between the lines, neither George nor anyone else has so far clarified what this might be exactly, not even genus or hybrid, etc.

[Jools]

All we know is that six of these were imported from Brazil a year or two ago and that this is the single remaining one.

It's quite small for a pim hybrid out of Brazil. The mouth and eyes do look unusual, but I wonder if it's just an obscure pimelodid that's not commonly photographed.

Cheers,

Jools

[wayne the pain]

Hope you get to the bottom of what this fish is?

[Viktor Jarikov]

Hi Jools! Any new development on this fish by chance?

[Jools]

I think it's parapimelodus. Johnny Jensen is coming to stay at my house after the CSG convention, so many more pics then.

Cheers,

Jools

[Jools]

This fish is still going well and is in the catalog as

Parapimelodus sp`manaus`

.