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Chiapas Catfish
Lacantunia enigmatica
The Chiapas catfish (Lacantunia enigmatica) is an unusual species of catfish (order Siluriformes) from the Usumacinta River basin in the Mexican state of Chiapas and in Guatemala. It was scientifically described in 2005 and placed in its own family Lacantuniidae. While discovery of an undescribed species of catfish is not uncommon, discovery of a new family of any vertebrate group is a rare event. The Chiapas catfish mainly feeds on crabs, prawns, small fish, and large, tough plant seeds. This catfish is commonly fished in its natural habitat, where it is known as madre de juil, which means "mother of Rhamdia" (a common fish in the area).
From the article Chiapas catfish on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Range & habitat
The generic name of the fish reflects its distribution in the Lacantún River drainage, flowing through the Montes Azules and Selva Lacandona Biosphere Reserves in Chiapas, Mexico into the Usumacinta River. After its initial discovery in the Lacantún, it was found to also inhabit other parts of the Usumacinta River basin, extending its range into northwestern Guatemala. With the description of the new family, four catfish families are now found in this region. These fish inhabit deep river channels and pools, often but not always with rocks and strong eddy currents. Few specimens were taken in stream mouths.
Wikipedia: “Distribution and habitat”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Lacantunia enigmatica in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 204994.