Lithodoras dorsalis (Valenciennes, 1840)
Rock-bacu
photo by IBAMA

Family:  Doradidae (Thorny catfishes), subfamily: Doradinae
Max. size:  100 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 15 kg
Environment:  demersal; freshwater, potamodromous
Distribution:  South America: Amazon River basin and estuary near Cayenne, French Guiana.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 1-1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6-6; Anal soft rays: 13-14. Body elongated, without scales, almost covered with bony plaque, ventrally flattened in adults. Terminal mouth has three pairs of barbels. Lower jaw is shorter than the upper jaw. Eyes small (Ref. 35381).
Biology:  Feeds on fruits when the forests are flooded and on the blades of macrophytes. Acts as seed dispersal agent (Ref. 6868). Reproduction occurs once a year and juveniles are often seen in large numbers in the estuary of the Amazon, in the region of Mario (Ref. 35381).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 30 July 2020 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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