Aspredo aspredo (Linnaeus, 1758)
Banjo catfish
Chicharrita
Aspredo aspredo
photo by Camargo, M.

Family:  Aspredinidae (Banjo catfishes), subfamily: Aspredininae
Max. size:  38.3 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; freshwater; brackish
Distribution:  Central and South America: lower portions of coastal rivers from Venezuela to northern Brazil.
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Benthic fish occurring on sandy-muddy bottoms of brackish waters (Ref. 35381) and coastal rivers (Ref. 36695). Found on soft bottoms of shallow turbid water near river mouths. The species has a peculiar mode of egg incubation wherein the female banjo catfish carries the eggs firmly attached to the underside of the body. This seems to be an adaptation to facilitate the oxygenation of the eggs in muddy environments. Reproduction probably occurs during the earlier part of the year (Ref. 35381).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 04 August 2020 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:  Found in Pedernales channel, Mánamo channel - Güinamorena, Guanipa river - Venado channel, Manamito channel and mouth of Bagre (Ref. 51849).


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