Three-striped African Catfish, scientifically known as Pareutropius buffei, is a type of catfish from the Schilbeidae family.
It’s likely to live in open water and has social behaviors.
You can check out what this fish looks like over here.
Three-striped African Catfish Interesting Facts
- Three-striped African catfish is social and lives in open water but doesn’t guard its eggs.
- It has a maximum total length of 4.5 inches (11.5 centimeters) and prefers a pH range of 6.0 to 8.0, with a water hardness level of 5 to 19 dH.
- Unique features include serrations on the inner part of its pectoral spine, one pair of mandibular barbels, and palatine teeth.
- This catfish lays around 100 eggs at a time and can be found in tropical regions between latitudes 14°N to 4°N.
Three-striped African Catfish Habitat
Three-striped African catfish is found in Africa, specifically in lower Niger (Nigeria), lower Ouémé (Benin), and coastal freshwater lagoons between these rivers.
It also lives in the Cross River (Nigeria). It’s a freshwater fish that lives close to the bottom of water bodies and migrates within rivers.
Three-striped African catfish prefers a pH range of 6.0 to 8.0 and a water hardness level of 5 to 19 dH. Its ideal temperature range is 75°F to 81°F (24°C to 27°C).
This fish is found in tropical regions between latitudes 14°N to 4°N.
| Water Temperature: | 75°F to 81°F (24°C to 27°C) |
| Water pH: | 6.0 to 8.0 pH |
| Water Hardness: | 5 to 19 dH |
Three-striped African Catfish Physical Characteristics
Size: 4.5 inches (11.5 centimeters)
Three-striped African catfish is a small fish, growing up to 4.5 inches (11.5 centimeters) long. It has one dorsal spine and 4 to 5 dorsal soft rays.
The anal fin has 28 to 36 soft rays. This fish can be identified by serrations on the inner part of its pectoral spine, the presence of only one pair of mandibular barbels, and palatine teeth.
Three-striped African catfish has unique coloration patterns including dark spots on the upper and lower parts of its tail fin, an oblique lateral streak from behind the gills to above the anus, and a narrow dark line along its back that doesn’t connect with the spot on its tail fin.
This fish also features 7 to 8 branched pectoral fin rays, 35 to 37 non-fused vertebrae, nostrils with varying distances apart, nasal barbels that extend past the front edge of their eyes, maxillary barbels that reach behind their gill covers or beyond, and mandibular barbels that reach at least to their gill covers’ back edges.
Its head is narrow and rounded with a snout slightly longer than its lower jaw. Its closest relative is P. debauwi which differs in coloration patterns.
In both live and preserved specimens, this catfish has a brown head/back area and dark brown bands running from behind its eyes to its tail fin’s back edge.
A shorter second band starts above where the front fins attach to the body and goes diagonally towards where their rear fins start.
Both lobes of the tail fin have elongated dark brown spots while other fins are unpigmented.
In living specimens, they appear whitish with blue-to-black markings.
Three-striped African Catfish Reproduction
Three-striped African catfish pairs up in a unique way for reproduction.
This fish lays around 100 eggs at a time but doesn’t guard them.
Three-striped African Catfish Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Schilbeidae |
| Genus: | Pareutropius |
| Scientific Name: | Pareutropius buffei |
| Also Known As: | Three-striped African Catfish |
| Conservation Status: | Least Concern |