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Platystacus cotylephorus
Platystacus cotylephorus the only species of catfish (order Siluriformes) in the genus Platystacus of the family Aspredinidae. The genus Platystacus is the sister group to a clade containing Aspredo and Aspredinichthys. P. cotylephorus originates from coastal waters and lower portions of rivers of northern South America, from Venezuela to northern Brazil.
This species grows up to about 32.0 centimetres SL and is distinguished from all other aspredinids by having 4+5 caudal fin rays. They are further distinguished from its close relatives by the absence of accessory maxillary barbels and the presence of well developed rows of unculiferous tubercles.
P. cotylephorus occurs mainly in brackish water and is found on soft bottoms of shallow turbid water near river mouths. It is reported to migrate from estuaries into freshwater, but actual spawning apparently takes place in brackish water. The species has a peculiar mode of egg incubation wherein the female catfish carries the eggs firmly attached to the underside of the body. This seems to be an adaptation to facilitate the oxygenation of the eggs in muddy environments. Reproduction probably occurs during the earlier part of the year.
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Platystacus cotylephorus
