Sorubim elongatus Littmann, Burr, Schmidt & Isern, 2001
Slender shovelnose catfish
Sorubim elongatus
photo by Sabaj Pérez, M.H.

Family:  Pimelodidae (Long-whiskered catfishes)
Max. size:  32.2 cm SL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 260.0 g
Environment:  demersal; freshwater
Distribution:  South America: Amazon, Essequibo, and Orinoco River basins (Ref. 36506); a disjunct record from Río Mamore, Bolivia (Ref. 57983).
Diagnosis:  Dorsal soft rays (total): 6-6; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 20-25; Vertebrae: 44-46. Laterally positioned eyes, visible dorsally and ventrally; in adults, the diameter is 2.2-3.3 times into interorbital width. Inner mental barbels usually posterior to gular apex, rarely even with it, and never reaching fleshy margin of opercle. Outer mental barbels longer, extending beyond the origin of pectoral fins. Maxillary barbels variable in length, extending to pelvic fins or beyond. Pelvic fins when depressed reaching approximately halfway from anus to anal-fin origin.
Biology:  Collected from both white and black waters; found in floodplain lakes, small creeks (or caños) to large rivers and tidal rivers; on sand, mud, and clay substrates associated with vegetation (e.g. tall reeds, emergent grasses, and root masses of stream-side trees). Apparently nocturnal and hide in groups along stream margins during the day (Ref. 40631).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 22 December 2020 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:   
 


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