Bagre?

A members area where you can introduce yourself, discuss anything outwith catfish and generally get to know each other.
Post Reply
User avatar
TalenT
Posts: 218
Joined: 23 Jul 2003, 21:10
Location 1: Sweden
Location 2: Europe

Bagre?

Post by TalenT »

I work part-time at an LFS. One of our customers have recently been on a trip to Brazil. Today he told me about a fish that he had caught there, that the local people called "Bagre". He described it as "rather elongated and slim" "camoflague pattern" and "very sharp spines in the pectoral (as i understood it) fins". Oh, and that it made a squeeking sound when handled. Swedish is not his first language (he speaks portuguese) so i may have misunderstood him on some details. He also showed me a very blurry (loch ness - type :wink: ) photo of it. On that photo it kind of reminded me of some type of Channa. I know that snakeheads aren't native to south america, any ideas?

Could it be some kind of large predatory characin, Hoplias? Heard of any squeeking tetras?
User avatar
Jools
Expert
Posts: 16274
Joined: 30 Dec 2002, 15:25
My articles: 198
My images: 941
My catfish: 237
My cats species list: 87 (i:235, k:1)
My aquaria list: 21 (i:13)
My BLogs: 7 (i:10, p:167)
My Wishlist: 23
Spotted: 450
Location 1: Middle Earth,
Location 2: Scotland
Interests: All things aquatic, Sci-Fi, photography and travel. Oh, and beer.
Contact:

Post by Jools »

Bagre simply means catfish (or old hag if IIRC), so no help there. My money is on a pimelodid or doradid, but without your picture you're very unlikely ever to find out what it is.

Can you scan or take a digi cam picture of the "loch ness" picture and post it?


Jools
Last edited by Jools on 08 Feb 2005, 20:32, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Silurus
Posts: 12461
Joined: 31 Dec 2002, 11:35
I've donated: $12.00!
My articles: 55
My images: 896
My catfish: 1
My cats species list: 90 (i:1, k:0)
Spotted: 428
Location 1: Singapore
Location 2: Moderator Emeritus

Post by Silurus »

"Bagre" is a Spanish/Portuguese word for catfish.

It sounds like a Sorubim or some kind of doradid.
Image
User avatar
TalenT
Posts: 218
Joined: 23 Jul 2003, 21:10
Location 1: Sweden
Location 2: Europe

Post by TalenT »

Ok, i will see if i can borrow that photo, he usually comes in at least once a week.
User avatar
coelacanth
Posts: 880
Joined: 31 Dec 2002, 13:19
My articles: 1
My images: 2
My catfish: 4
My cats species list: 32 (i:3, k:0)
Spotted: 3
Location 1: Bolton, UK
Location 2: UK
Interests: All things Aquatic

Post by coelacanth »

From a very blurred image, the colour pattern of Sorubimichthys could kind of look like that seen in adult Channa micropeltes?
Pete
User avatar
Shane
Expert
Posts: 4646
Joined: 30 Dec 2002, 22:12
My articles: 69
My images: 162
My catfish: 75
My cats species list: 4 (i:75, k:0)
My aquaria list: 5 (i:5)
Spotted: 99
Location 1: Tysons
Location 2: Virginia
Contact:

Post by Shane »

Actually, siluro means catfish, but it is not a word known by many people. Bagre does and does not mean catfish. A bagre would be what most people think of as a catfish. Something naked (no scales/armor) and with whiskers. In South America this means pims and auchenipterids (including ageneiosids). A doradid might be a bagre if it lacked strong armor, but if the scutes are well developed it would be a sierra (saw). (On an unrelated note, sierra can also be a mountain range (think of teeth on a saw) thus the Sierra Nevada, where I was raised, is the "snow covered saw").

It is important thus to understand that Panaque nigrolineatus is a panaque, Hemiloricaria caracensis a tabla (board), and Farlowella mariaelenae an aguje (needle), but if you suggest that a panaque, tabla or aguje is also a bagre, people would think you were mildly retarded to confuse such different fishes.

These terms are pretty much restricted to places that have lots of various catfish species (basically Panama and south). None of these words mean anything in Mexico for example. I have noticed that the Spanish (meaning from Spain) aquarium magazine "Acuario Practico" and the Mexican magazine "Aqua Guia" use the term pez gato (literally fish-cat). This is clearly just a translation of the English and/or French terms. I am not a language purist, but it seems sad to me that they have adopted this term when Spanish is already so rich in words for different catfishes.

OK, enough ethnotaxonomy....
-Shane
"My journey is at an end and the tale is told. The reader who has followed so faithfully and so far, they have the right to ask, what do I bring back? It can be summed up in three words. Concentrate upon Uganda."
Winston Churchill, My African Journey
User avatar
metallhd
Posts: 169
Joined: 27 Sep 2003, 07:09
Location 1: Edmonton Alberta Canada

Post by metallhd »

Shane wrote: OK, enough ethnotaxonomy....
-Shane
Oh THAT's what it is . . . :shock:
The toil of all that be helps not the primal fault
it rains into the sea, and still the sea is salt
User avatar
TalenT
Posts: 218
Joined: 23 Jul 2003, 21:10
Location 1: Sweden
Location 2: Europe

Post by TalenT »

...he also told me that he had seen a few (what he called) "algae-eaters", i believe he means different loricariidae species. These were called "cascudo" or maybe "gascudo" by the locals. These ended up on the dinner table, tasted good, i was told.
User avatar
Shane
Expert
Posts: 4646
Joined: 30 Dec 2002, 22:12
My articles: 69
My images: 162
My catfish: 75
My cats species list: 4 (i:75, k:0)
My aquaria list: 5 (i:5)
Spotted: 99
Location 1: Tysons
Location 2: Virginia
Contact:

Post by Shane »

Cascudo means "armored" and is usually used in ref to Callichthyids, but could also be used for loricariids.
-Shane
"My journey is at an end and the tale is told. The reader who has followed so faithfully and so far, they have the right to ask, what do I bring back? It can be summed up in three words. Concentrate upon Uganda."
Winston Churchill, My African Journey
Marc van Arc
Expert
Posts: 5038
Joined: 19 Dec 2004, 14:38
My articles: 20
My images: 61
My catfish: 9
Spotted: 35
Location 2: Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Post by Marc van Arc »

While reading the Brasilian Red List, I noticed that Bagre is the common name for (a) Rhamdia species. Check the sticky What's happening in Brasil in one of the South America forums.
Post Reply

Return to “Speak Easy”