gilded catfish

{{Short description|Species of fish}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Zungaro zungaro.jpg

| image_caption = de Castelnau, 1821

| image2 = Zungaro zungaro Napo.png

| image2_caption = Napo River basin

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Salvador, G.N. |year=2023 |title=Zungaro zungaro |volume=2023 |page=e.T49829532A91631071 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T49829532A91631071.en |access-date=9 June 2025}}

| genus = Zungaro

| species = zungaro

| authority = (Humboldt in Humboldt and Valenciennes, 1821)

| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies

| subdivision =

  • Zungaro zungaro mangurus
    (Valenciennes, 1835)
  • Zungaro zungaro zungaro
    (Humboldt, 1821)

| synonyms_ref =

| synonyms =

  • Pimelodus zungaro
    Humboldt, 1821
  • Bagrus flavicans
    Castelnau, 1855
  • Brachyplatystoma flavicans
    (Castelnau, 1855)
  • Zungaro humboldtii
    Bleeker, 1858
  • Paulicea luetkeni
    (Steindachner, 1877)

}}

The gilded catfish, Jau catfish or dourado catfish, (Zungaro zungaro) is a South American catfish (order Siluriformes) of the family Pimelodidae. It is also known as manguruyu or black manguruyu.{{cite web |title=Common names of Zungaro zungaro |url=https://www.fishbase.se/ComNames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=47756&GenusName=Zungaro&SpeciesName=zungaro&StockCode=40125 |website=fishbase.se}}

Taxonomy

By some sources, it is the only species of the monotypic genus Zungaro.{{FishBase genus|genus=Zungaro|year=2007|month=May}} However, some sources list other species as valid, such as Zungaro jahu.{{cite journal|url=http://silurus.acnatsci.org/ACSI/library/biblios/2007_Ferraris_Catfish_Checklist.pdf|title=Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types|first=Carl J. Jr.|last=Ferraris|journal=Zootaxa|volume=1418|pages=1–628|year=2007|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.1418.1.1 }} 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.{{ITIS |id=681805 |taxon=Zungaro zungaro |accessdate=26 May 2007}}

Distribution and habitat

They are sexually mature upon reaching {{cvt|10|kg|lb}} 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 {{cvt|140|cm|in|round=0.5}} in total length, and specimens measuring {{cvt|130|cm|in|round=0.5}} and weighing {{cvt|50|kg|lb}} are not rare.{{FishBase species|genus=Zungaro|species=zungaro|year=2012|month=February}} 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.

References

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