Taxonomy & naming
Rhinodoras gallagheri Sabaj Pérez, Taphorn & Castillo G., 2008 is the valid name in the Catalog of Fishes. It was described from the Río Apure between the mouth of the Río Portuguesa and San Fernando de Apure, Venezuela. The epithet is a patronym; the person honoured is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas.
Morphology
Rhinodoras are thorny catfishes (Doradidae) with a row of bony plates bearing sharp spines along each flank, a long, rather pointed snout, three pairs of barbels, and strong locking spines in the dorsal and pectoral fins. FishBase gives this species a maximum of 6 in SL.
Habitat
FishBase gives its range as the Río Apure, Río Capanaparo and Río Arauca of the middle Orinoco in Venezuela, and the Río Aguas de Limón in Colombia. It is a freshwater, bottom-living tropical fish.
Feeding
Diet in the wild is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas. Doradids generally feed at night on invertebrates, small fish, fruit and detritus; in the aquarium they accept sinking pellets and frozen foods such as bloodworm and chopped shrimp.
Mating
Mating behaviour is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas.
Breeding
Captive breeding is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas. Doradids in general are rarely bred in aquaria.
In the aquarium
Provide caves, wood and a soft substrate in a spacious tank with some current, and keep it with robust, peaceful tankmates too large to swallow. Handle carefully; the plate spines catch in nets. FishBase gives no temperature, pH or hardness range for this species.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List assessed it as Least Concern in 2020, meaning it is not considered at risk of extinction at present. The effect of collecting and habitat change has not been described.