Auchenipterichthys coracoideus • Auchenipteridae • Cat-eLog • PlanetCatfish

Male
Close-up of male's thickened anal fin
Pair - female below

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Auchenipterichthys coracoideus** (Eigenmann & Allen, 1942)
Common Name(s)	Midnight Catfish, Zamora Woodcat
Type Locality	Iquitos, Upper Amazon, Peru.
Synonym(s)	Trachycorystes coracoideus
Pronunciation	awk en NIP terr ICK thiss - core ah koy dee uss
Etymology	Auchenipterichthys: From the Greek, auchenos, meaning neck, pteron, meaning fin and ichthys, meaning fish; in reference to the long cranial shield, which gives the appearance that the dorsal fin originates at the neck region.
Species Information
Size	110mm (4.3") SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Commonly referred to as A. thoracatus, a study in 2005 corrected the long standing misidentification of this species which is the most commonly available in the hobby. When undisturbed they sport a beautiful inky bluish black colour that, in combination with many pin-prick white spots, do give the impression of a clear tropical sky at midnight hence the common name.
Sexing	As with all woodcats, mature males exhibit a modified anal fin similar to the gonopodium found on many live-bearing toothcarps such as the guppy, platy, molly etc.
Habitat Information
Distribution	A widespread Amazonian species that also occurs in the upper Essequibo River. 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)
pH	6.0 - 7.2
Temperature	23.0-25.0°C or 73.4-77°F (Show others within this range)
Husbandry Information
Feeding	In the wild this fish is an insectivore, its diet probably stretches to small invertebrates and crustaceans. In captivity bloodworm appear favourite although it will readily accept flake food and sinking pellets. Food is often taken in mid-water as well as from the bottom.
Furniture	Some plants can be used to provide shelter but this fish loves to cram itself into small spaces, preferably in wood, during the daylight hours. If you really want to go all out for this fish drill woodcat sized holes into a large lump of bogwood - but remember to check them for inhabitants if you ever need to remove the wood!
Compatibility	Certainly a peaceful, surprisingly robust, catfish suitable for most community aquaria. Not to be trusted with very small fish as this fish is an effective hunter.
Suggested Tankmates	Groups of tall-bodied smaller Characins (Hyphessobrycon etc) and Corydoras catfish perfectly compliment this catfish and their shoaling helps relax the midnight catfish in its surroundings, leading to better colouration and more frequent sightings.
Breeding	Bred by German hobbyists, details (in English at least) are presently unavailable. Egg fertilization is internal and the eggs can be laid by the female in isolation from the male.
Further Information
References	Fishes West. S. America 120. See also Catfishes of the genus Auchenipterichthys (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae); a revisionary study. Carl J. Ferraris Jr., Richard P. Vari, and Sandra J. Raredon.
Registered Keepers	(1) Marc van Arc (k: 4), who also notes: "Third time I've kept this species.", (2) daniel60 (k: 8), (3) Jools (k: 4), (4) straitjacketstar (k: 7), (5) Shaun (k: 4), who also notes: "1 male and 2 females. These have laid eggs on a few occasions, but due to the setup and timing of these events I was unable to attempt raising the fry. There were no other species present during the last spawning, so the eggs had to be from these. Added another specimen Oct 2010. Looks to be female.", (6) roy.bryan, (7) Kjlossman, (8) k1ttyme0w, (9) Hammerhead, (10) ali12345 (k: 5), (11) Angelface23 (k: 14), who also notes: "I'm fairly certain I only have one male out of my group, but I wasn't really interested INTERESTED in them until recently. Recently added were 6 more, and they appear to be all female. Numbers may change once I get them to calm and can study them. N", (12) Dinyar, (13) geekshow (k: 2), (14) miles44 (k: 7), (15) GW_NL (k: 4), (16) bluescotty23, (17) nvcichlids (k: 32), (18) Yann (k: 2), (19) The.Dark.One, (20) PangasiusSutchi37, (21) Junttis, (22) ligon, (23) pickles4601, (24) Viktor Jarikov, who also notes: "Hides thoroughly during the day; hard to lure out even during feeding, unless really hungry; hates light", (25) Industrial, who also notes: "A larger fish ate his eyes, and now he comes out all day and eats everything from flakes, to feeder fish (intended for larger predators in the tank).", (26) J Bluto, (27) MichaelC95, (28) JamieH (k: 10), (29) Sktchy, (30) kp90, (31) arthos (k: 6), (32) bunthid tumnontigoon (k: 7), (33) Martin S (k: 3), (34) knifegill, (35) yadayada. 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	(1) nvcichlids (b: 45).
More Resources	- CotM 2001 July - Search Planet Catfish for more on Auchenipterichthys coracoideus - BBcode (for use in linking to this page from forum posts) - Look up Auchenipterichthys coracoideus on AquaticRepublic.com - Look up Auchenipterichthys coracoideus on Fishbase, I.T.I.S. or ispecies search. - URL (for use in linking to the species from anywhere on the web)
Hits	21869 hits.
Last Update	2009 Jan 11 03:11 (species record created: 2001 Apr 13 00:00)

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