Shell-shaped catfish , or kallikhtovy , or shell-shell , or shell - shaped catfish ( lat. Callichthyidae ) - a family of fresh-water ray-finned fish from the order Somoiformes .
| Shell Catfish |
Golden catfish |
| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Superfamily : | Loricarioidea |
|
| International scientific name |
|---|
Callichthyidae Bonaparte , 1838 |
|
Speckled Catfish (
Corydoras paleatus )
Content
Carapace shellfish are small in size - from 2.5 to 25 cm, the body is triangular, flat below. A characteristic feature of the fish of this family is the carapace, formed by two parallel rows of overlapping bone plates located on the sides of the body. The dorsal and pectoral fins have sharp spines; there is a powerful spike at the anterior border of the adipose fin, which is the difference between kallicht catfish and all other catfish. The mouth is small, lower, on the upper jaw there are 1-2 pairs of well developed and 1 pair of usually short antennae, as a rule, there are also shorter processes on both jaws. The nasal openings are almost merged together. A pineal opening has been preserved in the skull of calliichts. The swim bladder is divided into two sections and enclosed in a bone capsule. Sexual dimorphism is weak, females are usually somewhat larger and fuller than males , which have more developed fins.
In the waters of oxygen-poor kallicht catfish are able to breathe atmospheric air, rising periodically to the surface and trapping air bubbles in their mouths. Gas exchange is carried out through the vascularized walls of the hind gut. Some species with the help of such breathing can move on the ground for short distances.
Shell catfish spawn during the rainy season, when the water level rises in the reservoirs and it is saturated with oxygen. During spawning, the female collects male milk in her mouth, and then releases several eggs into a basket formed from folded abdominal fins. The eggs stick to the bottom in a place favored by the female, previously watered with milk released from the mouth. Most callicht catfish nests are pits, sometimes laid out by plants and pieces of shells. Fertilization efficiency reaches 100%, in total, the female lays up to 200 eggs.
Carapace shellfish are common in fresh waters of South America , Panama and the island of Trinidad [1] . They live in shallow reservoirs full of rotting substances, where oxygen is contained only in the upper layers of water.
Many members of the family are popular aquarium fish . In general, undemanding to the conditions of detention. They do not show aggressiveness towards representatives of their own or other species, predation, territoriality. Containment conditions: water temperature +18 ... + 28 ° C, pH = 6.0–7.5, water hardness up to 30 ° dH, aeration, filtration, water change, salinity not more than 0.1%. Shell-catfish feed on benthos ; in the aquarium, they usually stay near the bottom. Callicht catfish are water orderlies, as they pick up the rest of the feed that fell to the bottom of the aquarium, while stirring up sludge.
Spawning is caused by a simulation of the rainy season . For emerald brochis, natural spawning in an aquarium is rare, as a rule, reproduction is associated with gonadotropic injections. Fertility is 50-1500 eggs with a diameter of 1.5-2.0 mm. The incubation period at a water temperature of +23 ... + 27 ° C lasts 4-8 days. 12–20 hours after hatching, juveniles begin to feed. They feed it with microencapsulated compound feed , frozen rotifers , dust, a snake, etc. They become sexually mature at 6-20 months.
Corydoras aeneus and Corydoras paleatus have albino forms.
The Callichthyidae family consists of 2 subfamilies [1] with 9 genera and 198 species [2] :
- Subfamily Callichthyinae
- Genus Callichthys
- Genus Dianema
- Genus Hoplosternum
- Genus Lepthoplosternum
- Genus Megalechis
- Subfamily Corydoradinae
- Tribo Aspidoradini
- Genus Aspidoras
- Genus Scleromystax
- Tribe Corydoradini
- Genus Brochis
- Genus Corydoras
- Corydoras paleatus - Speckled Catfish
- Hoplosternum thoracatum
- Callichthys callichthys
- Dianema longibarbis
- Dianema urostriata - Striped-Tailed Dianema
- ↑ 1 2 Nelson D.S. Fishes of World Fauna / Transl. 4th rev. English ed. N. G. Bogutskaya, scientific. Ed. by A. M. Nasek, A. S. Gerd. - M .: Book House "LIBROCOM", 2009. - S. 254. - ISBN 978-5-397-00675-0 .
- ↑ FishBase : SpeciesList of Callichthyidae
- Nelson D.S. Fishes of World Fauna / Transl. 4th rev. English ed. N. G. Bogutskaya, scientific. Ed. by A. M. Nasek, A. S. Gerd. - M .: Book House "LIBROCOM", 2009. - S. 254. - ISBN 978-5-397-00675-0 .
- Frank St. Illustrated Encyclopedia of Fish. - 6th ed. - Prague: Artia, 1989 .-- S. 246—257. - 560 s.
- Animal Life: in 6 volumes. Volume 4. Pisces / Ed. prof. T. S. Russ. - M .: Education, 1983.
- Kochetov A. M. Decorative fish farming. - M .: Education, 1991 .-- 384 p. - 300,000 copies. - ISBN 5-09-001433-7
