Hypostomus affinis

Hey, guys!

I'm here to introduce one of the catfishes which is part of our project, the Hypostomus affinis. In Brazil, their popular name can be Cascudo, Acari or Boi-de-Guará. It is a benthic fish and it feeds organic materials, participating in the pre-stage mineralization of organic material in the substrate.

The reproduction of these fish occurs between November and February. This species has a low fertility rate, but strong parental care with its offsprings. The ones we found here in Rio de Janeiro, at the Guandu river, reaches 30 cm in adulthood. The genus Hypostomus is widely distributed in South America. Occurrence of H. affinis are described in several regions of Brazil, but it is probably another case of cryptic species. Species of this genus are an important food source in the Amazon and Pantanal wetlands, besides being economically important in the ornamental aquarium trade.

The video below contains disturbing images, if you are a sensitive person, better not watch it. It describes (in Portuguese) how to clean this fish to be eaten.

That is all for now! Till next time! By the way, none of us have tried this fish (at least yet).