Common Name
Sevenbarbed Banjo Catfish
Year Described
Valenciennes, 1840
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 5
Anal Fin: 50-60 rays
Caudal Fin: 10 principal rays
Pectoral Fin: 8
Body distinctively banjo-shaped with the body flattened and wide anterior to anal fin origin, and posterior part of body thin and laterally compressed. Head armored. Gill opening on underside of head. Eye tiny. Thick part of body at least a third of standard length. Snout tapers rapidly to a blunt tip and a small mouth. No hooked spines on snout. Maxillary barbels fairly long; reach pectoral fins. A small accessory barbel at base of maxillary barbel. Barbels do not have a fleshy flap connecting to head. Seven pairs of mental and postmental barbels. Dorsal fin high with a short base, filament and weak spine. Anal fin very long based. Pectoral fins large with strong spines and coarse serrations. Pelvic fin rounded. Adipose fin absent. Caudal fin small. Body naked.
Color
Dark brown above and pale below. Alternating dark and pale bands often present. Pectoral fins dark.
Size
Maximum size to 22cm SL.
Habitat
Inhabits the lower reaches of rivers and into brackish and saltwater estuaries. Found over soft bottoms. Quite salt tolerant for the family.
Range
Venezuela and Brazil (Orinoco and Amazon basins).
References
Carpenter, K.E., & De Angelis, N. (Eds.). 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic (Vol. 2, pp. 602-1373). Rome, Italy: Food and agriculture organization of the United Nations.
van der Sleen, P., & Albert, J.S. (Eds.). 2017. Field guide to the fishes of the Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas (Vol. 115). Princeton University Press.