Genus · Catfish

Amaralia

Amaralia is a genus with 2 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Catfish section, recorded from Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Adult sizes run from 4 in to 5 in. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
2
Adult sizes
4–5 in
IUCN assessed
2 of 2
Recorded from
3 countries

About the genus

Amaralia is a small genus of banjo catfish in family Aspredinidae, named for the flattened, guitar-shaped body and long tapering tail that give the whole family its common name. The atlas covers 2 species, 4–5 in as adults, found in river systems of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. Like other banjo catfish, Amaralia species are bottom-dwellers with a depressed head, small eyes, and mottled camouflage suited to lying motionless against sand or leaf litter rather than swimming in open water.

Amaralia oviraptor's species name references egg-related behavior, though detailed breeding accounts for the genus itself are sparse; several other genera within Aspredinidae are known for carrying fertilized eggs attached to the skin of the belly, an unusual form of parental care within catfish generally. Neither Amaralia species has an established place in the mainstream aquarium hobby - both are traded only occasionally, if at all, among catfish specialists. One atlas species is Not Evaluated and the other Least Concern, with no documented conservation concern at this time.

IUCN Red List: Least Concern · 1 Not Evaluated · 1

The 2 species

Every Amaralia recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources.

(Kner, 1855)

Banjo catfish

4 in SL · NE

Friel & Carvalho, 2016

Southern banjo catfish

5 in SL · LC

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Amaralia. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/amaralia/

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