Bunocephalus
Encyclopedia
Bunocephalus is a genus
of catfish
es (order
Siluriformes) of the family
Aspredinidae
. Currently not a natural grouping, Bunocephalus contains species of an undescribed genus Pseudobunocephalus. B. coracoideus is the most common species of banjo catfish that one might find among hobby
ists in aquarium
s.
group. Thus, several species have been removed to the genus Pseudobunocephalus
. The remaining species are as follows:
The removal of Pseudobunocephalus from Bunocephalus was an attempt to make it monophyletic. Even in this reduced state, Bunocephalus is still the largest genus in the Aspredinidae. Several undescribed species remain.
, Orinoco
, Amazon
, Paraguay
-Paraná
, and São Francisco River
s. It is also the only aspredinid genus found west of the Andes
, found in the Atrato
, San Juan
, and Patia River
s.
. Most species exhibit cryptic coloration, and the same holds true among Bunocephalus species. The skin is completely keratin
ized and is covered by large, unculiferous tubercle
s. Bunocephalus species may reach up to 12 centimetres (5 in) SL
.
fishkeeping
hobby
. These fish are nocturnal. This species is peaceful and a good idea for a community aquarium. These fish may be kept with sand to allow them to bury themselves or with a flat rock to hide underneath. Reproduction has been accomplished in the home aquarium. These fish can be easily sexed because females are much fatter and fuller than males. The mating pair should be conditioned on live foods for at least a month. Spawning is induced by a larger water change; the pair will spawn within two days. Spawning occurs at night. Some sources say they spawn under a fallen leaf or on a large rock, incubating their eggs by sitting on them, while others list them as egg-scatterers.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of catfish
Catfish
Catfishes 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 heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
es (order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Siluriformes) of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Aspredinidae
Aspredinidae
The Aspredinidae are a small South American family of catfishes also known as the banjo catfishes.-Distribution:Aspredinids are found throughout the major tropical rivers of South America...
. Currently not a natural grouping, Bunocephalus contains species of an undescribed genus Pseudobunocephalus. B. coracoideus is the most common species of banjo catfish that one might find among hobby
Hobby
A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.- Etymology :A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse...
ists in aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
s.
Taxonomy
Bunocephalus currently contains 14 species, according to Ferraris, 2007. However, in this scheme, Bunocephalus is a paraphyleticParaphyly
A group of taxa is said to be paraphyletic if the group consists of all the descendants of a hypothetical closest common ancestor minus one or more monophyletic groups of descendants...
group. Thus, several species have been removed to the genus Pseudobunocephalus
Pseudobunocephalus
Pseudobunocephalus is a genus of catfishes of the family Aspredinidae.-Taxonomy:The species of Pseudobunocephalus were originally classified in the genus Bunocephalus, but after further study it was found that these fish were unrelated to the type species Bunocephalus verrucosus or any of the...
. The remaining species are as follows:
- Bunocephalus aleuropsis Cope, 1870
- Bunocephalus amaurus Eigenmann, 1912
- Bunocephalus chamaizelus Eigenmann, 1912
- Bunocephalus colombianus Eigenmann, 1912
- Bunocephalus coracoideus (Cope, 1874)
- Bunocephalus doriae BoulengerGeorge Albert BoulengerGeorge Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:...
, 1902 - Bunocephalus knerii SteindachnerFranz SteindachnerFranz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist.- Work and career :Being interested in natural history, Steindachner took up the study of fossil fishes on the recommendation of his friend Eduard Suess...
, 1882 - Bunocephalus larai IheringHermann von IheringHermann von Ihering was a German-Brazilian zoologist. He was born at Kiel, Germany, and died at Gießen, Germany. He was the oldest son of Rudolf von Jhering.-Biography:...
, 1930 - Bunocephalus verrucosus (Walbaum, 1792)
The removal of Pseudobunocephalus from Bunocephalus was an attempt to make it monophyletic. Even in this reduced state, Bunocephalus is still the largest genus in the Aspredinidae. Several undescribed species remain.
Distribution
Bunocephalus is the most widely distributed aspredinid genus. It is found in MagdalenaMagdalena River
The Magdalena River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as...
, Orinoco
Orinoco
The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes called the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3% of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia...
, Amazon
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
, Paraguay
Paraguay River
The Paraguay River is a major river in south central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina...
-Paraná
Paraná River
The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language...
, and São Francisco River
São Francisco River
The São Francisco is a river in Brazil. With a length of , it is the longest river that runs entirely in Brazilian territory, and the fourth longest in South America and overall in Brazil...
s. It is also the only aspredinid genus found west of the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, found in the Atrato
Atrato River
The Río Atrato is a river of northwestern Colombia. It rises in the slopes of the Western Cordillera and flows almost due north to the Gulf of Urabá , where it forms a large, swampy delta....
, San Juan
San Juan River (Colombia)
San Juan River is an important river of Colombia. It quoted source is in the Cordillera Occidental and has a length of 380 km...
, and Patia River
Patía River
The Patía River is a river in southwestern Colombia. It flows over 400 kilometers to drain into the Pacific Ocean north of Tumaco. The Patía River is the longest river on the Colombian Pacific Coast. The last 90 kilometers is navigable by boat.-Geography:...
s.
Description
Bunocephalus is part of the family Aspredinidae, known as banjo catfishes for their large, flattened heads and slender tails that give the appearance of a banjoBanjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
. Most species exhibit cryptic coloration, and the same holds true among Bunocephalus species. The skin is completely keratin
Keratin
Keratin refers to a family of fibrous structural proteins. Keratin is the key of structural material making up the outer layer of human skin. It is also the key structural component of hair and nails...
ized and is covered by large, unculiferous tubercle
Tubercle
A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection, but it has slightly different meaning depending on which family of plants or animals it is used to refer to....
s. Bunocephalus species may reach up to 12 centimetres (5 in) SL
Fish measurement
Fish measurement refers to the measuring of the length of individual fish and of various parts of their anatomy. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology.-Overall length:...
.
In the aquarium
B. coracoideus is the most common species of banjo catfish that one might find in the aquariumAquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
fishkeeping
Fishkeeping
Fishkeeping is a popular hobby concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond. There is also a fishkeeping industry, as a branch of agriculture.-Types of fishkeeping systems:...
hobby
Hobby
A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.- Etymology :A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse...
. These fish are nocturnal. This species is peaceful and a good idea for a community aquarium. These fish may be kept with sand to allow them to bury themselves or with a flat rock to hide underneath. Reproduction has been accomplished in the home aquarium. These fish can be easily sexed because females are much fatter and fuller than males. The mating pair should be conditioned on live foods for at least a month. Spawning is induced by a larger water change; the pair will spawn within two days. Spawning occurs at night. Some sources say they spawn under a fallen leaf or on a large rock, incubating their eggs by sitting on them, while others list them as egg-scatterers.