Entomocorus gameroi is a species of driftwood catfish native (possibly endemic) to Venezuela and questionably present in Colombia. It is found in the Apure River basin. It grows to a length of 7.0 cm and can be distinguished from its congeners by an oblique band crossing from the dorsal profile of the caudal peduncle to the middle-upper rays of the caudal fin.[1] E. gameroi is classified as an omnivore with a tendency towards insectivory; it has been found to eat cladocerans, copepods, and water mites, as well as ostracods, insects including coleopterans, dipterans, ephemeropterans, hemipterans, and seeds and other vegetal matter.[1][2]

Entomocorus gameroi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Auchenipteridae
Genus: Entomocorus
Species:
E. gameroi
Binomial name
Entomocorus gameroi

During the day, E. gameroi rests motionlessly. This species has been found to hide among the submerged roots of water hyacinth during the day, but may also use alternative sources of shelter such as wood, rocks, and other benthic substrata in hyacinth-free locations.[2]

The reproductive cycle of E. gameroi has been studied, and it is believed that this species is short-lived. Fish of this species reach sexual maturity within a year and perish soon after. Members of a given cohort are never found in the studied lake the next year.[2]

References

edit
  • Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Entomocorus gameroi". FishBase. December 2011 version.
  1. ^ a b Reis, Roberto E.; Borges, Thiago A. K. (2006). Armbruster, J. W. (ed.). "The South American Catfish Genus Entomocorus (Ostariophysi: Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae), with the Description of a New Species from the Paraguay River Basin". Copeia. 2006 (3): 412–422. doi:10.1643/0045-8511(2006)2006[412:TSACGE]2.0.CO;2.
  2. ^ a b c Rodriguez, Marco A.; Richardson, Susan E.; Lewis, William M. Jr. (1990). "Nocturnal Behavior and Aspects of the Ecology of a Driftwood Catfish, Entomocorus gameroi (Auchenipteridae)". Biotropica. 22 (4). The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation: 435–438. doi:10.2307/2388565. JSTOR 2388565.