AquaticRepublic.com - Amphilius platychir (Amphiliidae) All Fishes

Close-up
Dorsal view
Close-up of unculi on the ventral surface of the pectoral spine
Stress colouration
Stress coloration

All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Amphilius platychir** (Günther, 1864)
Common Name	Mountain Barbel
Type Locality	Sierra Leone.
Synonym(s)	Amphilius grammatophorus, Amphilius grammatophorus brevipinna, Amphilius grammatophorus inaequalis, Amphilius grammatophorus marmoratus, Amphilius platychir marmoratus, Pimelodus platychir
Pronunciation	ahm FILL ee us
Etymology	Amphilius: Not clear; probably from the Greek amphi, meaning both sides and leios, meaning smooth.
Species Information
Size	167mm or 6.6" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Most amphiliid species are found in fast-flowing water of clear, rocky streams at high elevations or rapids of large lowland rivers (Berra 2001; Roberts 2003).basins (Seegers et al. 2003). Species of Amphilius are adapted for fast flow and rocky habitats (Skelton 1986). Morphological adaptations for these habitats include expanded pectoral and pelvic fins with a thickened first ray, depressed body, dorsally directed eyes and reduced swim bladder (Skelton 1986; Walsh et al. 2000). The large pelvic fins form, in conjunction with the body, a feeble sucking disc that enables the fish to cling to rocks (Jackson 1961b).
Habitat Information
Distribution	Africa: Sierra Leone, Guinea and Côte d"Ivoire. Reports from Ghana and Tanzania need confirmation. Known from the Senegal, Niger, Gambia, Corubal, Konkouré and Little Scarcies Rivers. Reported from Luongo River, Congo system, Zambia. African Waters, Sénégal (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Nigeria Waters, Niger (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Geba, Corubal (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Gambia (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Konkouré (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Little Scarcies (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Congo, Luongo (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
IUCN Red List Category	Least Concern , range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2019.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	The diet of Amphilius species has been reported to consist predominantly of benthic aquatic insects (Marriott et al. 1997; Skelton 2001; Walsh et al. 2000). User data.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum v. 5, pp 134.
Registered Keepers	There is no registered keeper.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There is no wish to keep this species.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 5 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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	Look up A. platychir on PlanetCatfish.com
	Look up A. platychir on Fishbase
	Look up A. platychir on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up A. platychir on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.24.123.1417
Last Update	2020 Sep 23 03:08 (species record created: 2004 Nov 26 00:00)