Platydoras costatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Raphael catfish
Platydoras costatus
photo by Jinkings, K.

Family:  Doradidae (Thorny catfishes), subfamily: Doradinae
Max. size:  24 cm SL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; freshwater; pH range: 5.80000019073486 - 7.5; dH range: 2 - 20
Distribution:  South America: Amazon, Tocantins, ParnaĆ­ba, Orinoco, Essequibo River basins and coastal drainages in French Guiana and Suriname (Ref. 37054). Reported from Argentina (Ref. 56308).
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 1-1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6-6; Anal soft rays: 10-11
Biology:  Lives on the bottom and feeds on mollusks, crustaceans, and organic debris. Frequently occurs on sandy bottoms. Often escapes into the sediment where it hides among the anfractuosities of the submerged stocks (Ref. 35381). A juvenile in a stream of the rio Araguaia was recorded to clean the piscivorous characin Hoplias cf. malabaricus (Ref. 50806).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 29 September 2020 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:   
 


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.