Platydoras costatus
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, non-migratory
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:  Adults live on the bottom and feeds on mollusks, crustaceans, and organic debris. They occur on sandy bottoms and often escape into the sediment where they hide 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


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