Gilded catfish


The gilded catfish or jau is a South American catfish of the family Pimelodidae. Also known as manguruyu or black manguruyu.

Taxonomy

By some sources, it is the only species of the monotypic genus Zungaro. However, some sources list other species as valid, such as Zungaro jahu. This species may be referred to by one of its synonyms, Brachyplatystoma flavicans. This species contains two subspecies, Z. z. mangurus and Z. z. zungaro.

Distribution and habitat

They are sexually mature upon reaching weight. This fish native to the Orinoco and Amazon basins; in the Amazon, this fish is found quite upstream, in the main bed of the big tributaries with muddy bottoms.

Description

This fish reaches in total length, and specimens measuring and weighing are not rare. These fish are mainly piscivorous, hunt at night, and sometimes go into flood-prone areas of rivers. Some migrations in pursuit of migrating Triportheus and Anodus have been reported. The nursery ground is at the mouths of rivers.