Taxonomy & naming
Described by Alberto Perugia in 1894 as a Copidoglanis and later moved to Neosilurus, hence the parentheses. The type locality is Inawi, eastern New Guinea. It is a valid species in the Catalog of Fishes.
Morphology
Neosilurus are eel-tailed catfishes: a long body with a tapering tail that merges the dorsal, caudal and anal fins, four pairs of barbels and a spined pectoral and dorsal fin. FishBase gives a maximum of 18.5 in TL for this species.
Habitat
Native to freshwater streams and rivers of northern Australia and central-southern New Guinea, according to FishBase, which classes it as a demersal fish and gives 72–86 °F.
Feeding
A bottom-feeding omnivore-carnivore of insects, crustaceans and small fish, by genus default; no species-specific diet study is known to the atlas.
Mating
Mating behaviour is not documented for Neosilurus ater in the sources available to the atlas. Sexes cannot be separated reliably from the information available.
Breeding
No aquarium breeding record is known to the atlas.
In the aquarium
Plotosid catfish carry venomous fin spines, so net with care and wear gloves for handling. At up to 18.5 in TL it needs a large tank, kept at 72–86 °F, with hiding places and sinking foods. It will eat small tankmates.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List assessed Neosilurus ater as Least Concern in 2019.