/pimelodidae/leiarius/pictus/1.jpg "Leiarius pictus(1) - Click to enlarge")
/pimelodidae/leiarius/pictus/2.jpg "Leiarius pictus(2) 35cm SL - Click to enlarge")
/pimelodidae/leiarius/pictus/3.jpg "Leiarius pictus(3) 35cm SL - Click to enlarge")
/pimelodidae/leiarius/pictus/4.jpg "Leiarius pictus(4) Juvenile - Click to enlarge")
/pimelodidae/leiarius/pictus/5.jpg "Leiarius pictus(5) Close-up of head and dorsal fin - Click to enlarge")
/pimelodidae/leiarius/pictus/6.jpg "Leiarius pictus(6) Close-up of barbels - Click to enlarge")
/pimelodidae/leiarius/pictus/7.jpg "Leiarius pictus(7) Close-up of male genital area - Click to enlarge")
/pimelodidae/leiarius/pictus/8.jpg "Leiarius pictus(8) Close-up of female genital area - Click to enlarge")
 Cat-eLog Data Sheet | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Leiarius pictus (Müller & Troschel, 1849) |
| Common Name(s) | Painted Catfish, Saddle Catfish, Sailfin Marbled Catfish, Sailfin Pim |
| Type Locality | No locality. |
| Synonym(s) | Bagrus pictus, Sciades pictus |
| Pronunciation | pick tuss |
| Etymology | The genus name is derived from Leios, meaning smooth and Arius which is a Greek for "dealing with Mars, warlike, belliose". It's the name of another catfish genus, so the combination is "smooth Arius". This specific epithet literally means painted (pictus=painted) and refers to the spots of the adult of the species. |
| Species Information | |
| Size | 600mm (23.6") SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp. |
| Identification | This catfish is sometimes confused with Leiarius longibarbis (formerly known as L. marmoratus). The overall body colour of L. pictus is dark brown with darker spots, with a lighter underside colouration. More noticeable in juvenile specimens this catfish has two pale bands, the first extends from the base of the dorsal fine spine toward the ventral fin, and then laterally along the body to the base of the caudal; the second thinner band lies parallel to the first originating from the base of the third to sixth soft dorsal fin rays. |
| Sexing | See the images above of the male and female genital areas. Observation of cpative adult fishes points towards females tending to be more heavily built and robust than the males, which tend to be slender. |
| Habitat Information | |
| Distribution | Widespread throughout the Amazon and its tributaries, South America. Amazon (hover or click on these areas to show maps or find other species found there) Guyana Waters, Coastal Rivers of Guyanas, Essequibo (hover or click on these areas to show maps or find other species found there) Orinoco  (hover or click on these areas to show maps or find other species found there) |
| pH | 6.2 - 7.6 |
| Temperature | 22.0-26.0°C or 71.6-78.8°F (Show others within this range) |
| Other Parameters | Up to 18°dGH |
| Husbandry Information | |
| Feeding | Carnivore feeding on a very mixed and varied diet including earthworms, whole prawns, mussels, floating sticks/pellets and catfish pellets. In their natural environment they would feed upon other fish. |
| Furniture | Large, spacious tank with open space for night time cruising. A large shady bogwood root or pipe that the catfish can retreat to during the day is also required. Ensure the heater is in the open and not in a place where the catfish may try and hide. |
| Compatibility | Ideally suited to life with other large fish. These catfish are predatory and will eat smaller fish if hungry. |
| Suggested Tankmates | Other large catfish such as Pseudodoras, Oxydoras, Pterodoras and Megalodoras, Oscars and larger characins. |
| Breeding | There are no known aquarium spawnings of this catfish. This is most likely due to the size that these fish can attain and hence the subsequent size of aquarium in which to spawn them. |
| Further Information | |
| References | Horae Ichthyol.No. 3 - pp8 |
| Registered Keepers | (1) CFC, who also notes: "An extreemly fast growing species reaching full size in just 3 years", (2) arapaima, (3) roy.bryan, (4) watersprite, (5) LUISGOREY, (6) miller, (7) aledk85, (8) tezr, (9) vyperboy, (10) dean30bb, (11) sequoiacat (k: 3), (12) wonword, (13) Hudson Ensz, (14) Mcjlance (p: 2). Click on a username above to see all that persons registered catfish species. You can also view all "my cats" data for this species.  Add this species to your "my cats" page. |
| Breeding Reports | None. |
| More Resources |
 - CotM  2003 April -
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| Hits | 34599 hits. |
| Last Update | 2011 Jan 11 23:45 (species record created: 2001 Apr 22 00:00) |
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