My only Monster - Apure Jelly Catfish

[jjohnwm]

DNA analysis does indeed reveal "truth" in terms of relationships and is far more useful than the old "this looks like that" methodology. I think the problem lies in the human element of taxonomy. Everybody wants to be heard, to be published, to make a name for themselves...now that DNA tells us unequivocally what is or is not related to what, and how closely, the only thing left to argue about is the nomenclature.

Our whole system of classification, using orders, families, sub-families, genera, etc. is still an artificial construct that allows a lot of room for disagreement...and the lumpers and splitters are always ready to do so. Even if they can actually agree on whether two slightly different individuals are the same species, two different subspecies or even two distinct species...they still need to come up with a name that follows all the rules of the system.

Apparently that is too much to ask sometimes.

 

[Fishman Dave]

Fully agree. The problem I see with dna sampling is that you suddenly start to find that fish a is related to fish b the same way most brits suddenly become related to King Arthur.
Go back far enough and doh, of course they are !
But we still use the superficial naming database that we as humans invented and rely upon for working out what’s what.
However I had thought that the most recent change to eschmyers list was on 7th Dec and concerned batrochoglanis. Maybe one of the earlier changes related to cephalosilurus - I shall have to look back and see.

 

[Yellowcat]

Here's the latest taxonomy bits:

 

[quasar]

Our current specimen is 5 years old and well over 2 feet.

I just took the decision to rehome him this weekend. I brought him to a friend in the next province over who has a 10' x 6' indoor pond. It hurt to let him go, but it's what's best.

 

[jjohnwm]

Shame to see it go, but if you think it's getting crowded as it grows then that's the right thing to do.

I just moved mine into a larger tank recently; still not likely to keep him or me happy as he gets larger, so I suspect he will be moving into a stock tank that I recently put onto a stand to raise it off the floor, improving visibility and insulating from the cold basement concrete. I will experiment with heating and may move him into that in a year or so.

A nice big apurensis is one of those fish that looks just as good...or just as bad...from above as from the side, IMHO.

 

[jjohnwm]

Thanks to Yellowcat for the updated info on the nomenclature of this species.

I snooped around the ScotCat website and found, sure enough, that the Jelly is now in Lophiosilurus, along with the several other similar cats with which it recently shared Cephalosilurus. They also indicate that this most recent change is from Dec/21.

And...they also show a maximum length of less than 1 foot!

Scientists...pfffft!

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I submitted a query on the size to the PCF: https://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=50563

 

[Yellowcat]

This is an old controversy, Viktor and I have communicated with PCF on the size stated for L. Apurensis in the past. I think Scotcat just gets their data from PCF. The irony is that among the photos in the Cat-Elog on PCF, the last one of the curled up dead specimen next to a tape measure is about 24". I know the owner who posted the photo who reported it was around 28" before it died. The fish in question was my fish before I sold it to him when it was about 3 years old and 16" or so...
Here's a fave photo when it was mine:

 

[jjohnwm]

It seems as though a lot of internet sites keep repeating certain numbers, whether referring to maximum fish length, temperature requirements, tank size requirements, etc. It's very easy to believe that the number in question, wherever it originates, is simply parroted over and over without any consideration for the fact that it has been proven incorrect, sometimes in the very next paragraph or photograph.

While snooping around ScotCat, I followed a link they provide to an article about C.apurensis written by Christian and Wolfgang Ros. Not only is it extremely detailed and complete...but it is apparently translated from German to English by someone who speaks neither language! It's here:

Cephalosilurus apurensis - a voracious ambushing predator but not without charm

www.scotcat.com

...and for anyone with an interest in this species it is definitely worth a read; both informative and entertaining.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Kirk, I forgot that was your fish! Thank you for refreshing this. I hope ours outlives me. If I get a chance I will photograph / video live with a ruler. It looks significantly bigger than 24".

Wolfgang writes some of the best articles I've ever read in terms of popular, hobby knowledge. As for the translation, it was likely a machine translation from long ago (the article is like 15 years old now), when the online translators were more primitive than nowadays.