PlanetCatfish.com

Hi,
at feeding time tonight I just noticed on one of my tatia intermedia the shape of a pair of eyes on its back. Mine were tiny when I got them and didn't have this. Is it something that happens at maturity? I looked in the catelog and it seems to be commmon but no mention in the description.
thanks
Alison

Hi Alison,
Could you expand a little on the exact location of these "eyes"?
If you mean the spot before the dorsal it is indeed supposed to be there and when the fish gets more mature it stands out more because the other spots on the body happen to fade away.

Hi,
Yes the 2 spots are in front of the dorsal fin, just behind the head area. They are quite distict compared to all the other spots which are on the sides.
Is this specific to intermedia or would you find it on any of the related species as well?
thanks
Alison

It's a body part called the nuchal plate or -shield, a bony part between the head and the dorsal.
Afaik every catfish has it.
In Tatias it's best seen in mature specimen. Check the pictures in the Cat-eLog if you like. In T. intermedia it is just very clearly visible.

Thanks Marc