The Magdalena River ( Spanish : Río Magdalena , Spanish pronunciation: [ˈri.o maɣðaˈlena] ; less commonly Rio Grande de la Magdalena ) is the main river of Colombia , flowing northward about 1,528 kilometres (949 mi) through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene . It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta , as far as Honda , at the downstream base of its rapids. It flows through the Magdalena River Valley .
32-414: Callichthys Dianema Hoplosternum Lepthoplosternum Megalechis Aspidoras Corydoras (including Brochis ) Gastrodermus Hoplisoma Osteogaster Scleromystax Callichthyidae is a family of catfishes ( order Siluriformes ), called armored catfishes due to the two rows of bony plates (or scutes) along the lengths of their bodies. It contains some of
64-418: A dams ). Additional dams are being constructed, including El Quimbo (opened in 2015) and Ituango (expected operational in 2018), which has caused some controversy. As a result of the pollution, heavy metals have also been detected in some commercially important fish in the river. As of 2002 , 19 fish species in the river basin were recognized as threatened. The Magdalena River and its valley crosses
96-547: A length of up to 24 cm (9.4 in) TL . The mouth is small and ventral with one or two pairs of well-developed barbels. The dorsal and pectoral fins have strong spines, and a spine is found at the anterior border of the adipose fin. In many species of this family, these spines are also venomous as an added deterrent to predators. The scutes that give these fish their name are one of their most prominent characteristics. The body has two rows of overlapping bony plates on each side. The plates are arranged so they overlap along
128-601: A wide variety of ecosystems, like páramo in its headwaters, dry forest in the upper part of its valley, rainforest in its middle course, and swamps and wetlands in its lower course. The spectacled caiman , green iguana and brown pelican are abundant in these ecosystems but other animal species like the West Indian manatee , Magdalena tinamou , Todd's parakeet , American crocodile , Colombian slider , Magdalena River turtle , Dahl's toad-headed turtle and red-footed tortoise are in danger of extinction. In addition, there
160-459: Is sister to Lepthoplosternum and Megalechis . In a 2013 study, Dianema is the sister group of all the remaining genera. The first known fossil species of callichthyid is Corydoras revelatus from Salta , Argentina , of the late Paleocene . This species is tentatively placed in Corydoras , but is unambiguously a member of the subfamily Corydoradinae. It indicates that the lineages leading to
192-459: Is a possible risk posed by invasive hippopotamus . Originally imported by Pablo Escobar , these hippopotami became feral following his demise, and have since expanded beyond their original home on Hacienda Napoles into nearby regions of the Magdalena River. Due to its geographical position in the north of South America , the Magdalena River was since precolumbian times a route towards
224-450: Is derived from the Greek kallos (beautiful) and ichthys (fish). 3 of the 4 species were described only relatively recently. The genus Callichthys is in need of taxonomic work, as it includes 13 nominal species but specimens of this genus are usually referred to as C. callichthys regardless of collecting locality. According to a 1997 paper, Callichthys is the most basal member of
256-612: Is found in most South American river drainages ( Paraná - Paraguay , São Francisco , Atlantic Coastal basins in Brazil , Amazon , Orinoco , Maracaibo , Magdalena ). Hoplosternum punctatum is the only species in Central America, as it occurs in a few rivers in Panama . Callichthyidae present the highest species richness in the headwaters of the Amazonas drainage and those rivers draining
288-463: Is inefficient for digestive purposes. Air moving through the digestive tract facilitates the movement of digesta to the rectum . Unlike other catfish such as loricariids or trichomycterids that may breathe air only under hypoxic conditions, callichthyids breathe air under all water conditions. Some callichthyids are able to absorb air through their hind guts to move short distances on land. Air stored in their digestive tracts also accounts for 75% of
320-556: Is the largest river system of the northern Andes, with a length of 1,612 km. Its headwaters are in the south of Colombia, where the Andean subranges Cordillera Central and Cordillera Oriental separate, in Huila Department . The river runs east then north in a great valley between the two cordilleras. It reaches the coastal plain at about nine degrees north , then runs west for about 100 km (62 mi), then north again, reaching
352-533: The Caribbean Sea at the city of Barranquilla in the zone known as Bocas de Ceniza . The Magdalena River basin, which includes the Cauca River and other tributaries, are very rich in fish. As of 2008 , 213 fish species were known from the basin. Since then several new species have been described from the basin such as five Hemibrycon in 2013, two Ancistrus in 2013 and a Farlowella in 2014. Among
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#1732890597248384-783: The Guiana Shield . The subfamily Corydoradinae is found east of the Andes and north of the Rio de La Plata system. Representatives of the Corydoradinae are found in several freshwater environments, ranging from fast-flowing piedmont streams with sandy or rocky bottoms to lowland pools with muddy bottoms. A single species, Aspidoras mephisto , is a cavefish . Callichthyids are fairly small catfish, and range in size from some tiny Corydoras species that do not exceed 2 cm (0.79 in) to Hoplosternum littorale , which some sources list as growing to
416-651: The characids Carlastyanax (often included in Astyanax ) and Genycharax . In general, the fish fauna shows connections with surrounding basins, notably Atrato and Maracaibo , but to a lesser extent also Amazon – Orinoco . The most productive fishing areas in Colombia are in the basin, but there has been a drastic decrease in the annual harvest with a fall of about 90% between 1975 and 2008. The primary threats are pollution (such as human waste, mining, farming and deforestation causing siltation ) and habitat loss (such
448-458: The fishkeeping hobby. Callichthys Callichthys is a small genus of freshwater catfish in the Callichthyinae subfamily of the armored catfish family, and consists of 4 species from South America . The genus Callichthys is distributed in most freshwater drainages of South America . The type species for this genus is Callichtys callichthys . The name Callichthys
480-410: The infraorbital bones also covered by skin, and the head highly depressed with less than 75% of the cleithral width (except sometimes in mature males). Callichthys is normally found in large schools on the muddy bottoms of slow-moving rivers, pools, drainage ditches, and swampy areas. In water with low oxygen content, the fish are capable of utilizing atmospheric air by taking in a gulp of air at
512-633: The Magdalena River to Juan Bernardo Elbers, but his company closed shortly after. By 1845, steamboats regularly travelled on the river until 1961, when the last steamers ceased operation. Much of the film Love in the Time of Cholera takes place in the historic, walled city of Cartagena in Colombia. Some screenshots showed the Magdalena River and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range. The General in His Labyrinth , by Gabriel García Márquez,
544-448: The air is expelled from the anus . The anterior digestive intestine packages digesta into a string of slightly compressed boluses , creating an air channel in the digestive intestine, thus allowing air to pass unimpeded. The posterior intestine is modified for respiration into a thin-walled and highly vascularized structure by reduction of the thickness of the epithelium, submucosa, and muscle layers; though highly modified to absorb air, it
576-400: The aquarium. Callichthys is a builder of bubblenests from plant parts, some bottom materials, and bubbles formed by a mouth secretion and air. The male forms a mass of bubbles about 20 cm (8 in) in diameter and 10 cm (4 in) high. During the time of construction, the female is actively chased away or ignored. When the nest construction is complete, the male will accept
608-629: The eggs and larvae takes place in these nests. Parental care in callichthyines is by the male. In Corydoras and Hoplosternum , fertilization of eggs involves 'sperm drinking'; the female and male form the "T-position" with the female's mouth over the male's genital opening, and then the female drinks the sperm, releasing the sperm and eggs simultaneously. Some species are quite common in South America and are fished commercially. They are usually cooked in their bony armor. Some callichthyids, especially species of Corydoras , are popular as ornamental fish in
640-434: The family includes both bottom-foraging and midwater species. Callichthyids inhabit a wide range of habitats, from small, swift, oxygen-rich creeks to big rivers and flooded areas. Their habitats may even include swampy and muddy ones where oxygen may be virtually absent. Callichthyids survive in these conditions by breathing air, collecting and swallowing it at the water's surface. The intestines are used to absorb oxygen, and
672-445: The female. The eggs (up to several hundred) are deposited into the nest and the male or the pair will actively protect the nest for about four weeks until the fry come out of the nest at the size of 2.5 cm (1 in). Magdalena River Its drainage basin covers a surface of 273,000 square kilometres (105,000 sq mi), which is 24% of the country's area and where 66% of its population lives. The Magdalena River
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#1732890597248704-428: The genus Brochis should be synonymized with Corydoras . The subfamily Callichthyinae contains Callichthys , Dianema , Hoplosternum , Lepthoplosternum , and Megalechis . According to a 1997 paper, Callichthys is the most basal member of the subfamily. In a 2004 study, different relationships among the callichthyines were found: Dianema and Hoplosternum form the most basal clade, and Callichthys
736-671: The interior of present-day Colombia and Ecuador . Several Carib -speaking peoples such as the Panche and the Yariguí ascended through the western bank of the river, while its eastern portion was inhabited by the Muisca civilization, which called the river Yuma . Likewise, the Spanish conquistadores who arrived to today's Colombia early in the 16th century used the river to push to the wild and mountainous inland after Rodrigo de Bastidas discovered and named
768-461: The more famous species in the basin are Kronoheros umbriferus , Ctenolucius hujeta , Geophagus steindachneri , Ichthyoelephas longirostris , Panaque cochliodon , Pimelodus blochii , Potamotrygon magdalenae , Prochilodus magdalenae , Pseudoplatystoma magdaleniatum and Salminus affinis . About 55% of the fish species in the basin are endemic , including four endemic genera : The catfish Centrochir and Eremophilus , and
800-419: The most popular freshwater aquarium fish, such as many species in the genus Corydoras . The family derives its name from the Greek words kalli- ( καλλι- , 'beautiful') and ichthys ( ἰχθύς , 'fish'). Callichthyidae is one of six families in the superfamily Loricarioidea , and is sister to a clade formed by Scoloplacidae , Astroblepidae , and Loricariidae . Within the family Callichthyidae,
832-448: The necessary air for neutral buoyancy . Breeding habits are also variable. Corydoradines breed over the substrate (such as rocks, logs, or leaves) as most catfish. However, the members of the subfamily Callichthyinae are known for building and guarding floating foam bubble nests ; Hoplosternum littorale is reported to have the most complex nest structure. These floating nests are made of foam and plant debris. Spawning and caring for
864-614: The river on April 1, 1501. During the Spanish colonization of the Americas , the river was the only transport link communicating Bogotá with the Caribbean Sea port Cartagena de Indias and thus with Europe. The Magdalena Campaign of Pierre Labatut and Simón Bolívar took place along the Magdalena River. In 1825, the Congress of Colombia awarded a concession to establish steam navigation in
896-594: The rows as well as between the rows, providing protection but also allowing some freedom of movement. These scutes connect with the solid bones of the head, and the head itself may be covered with bony plates. The upper row of lateral scutes may either meet on the back or a narrow bare area may be filled with small oval or roundish bony platelets. Species of the Corydoradinae are of small size (maximum about 9 cm (3.5 in) in standard length ) and are easily distinguished from other callichthyids by their deep bodies and short maxillary barbels . Living habits are varied;
928-431: The subfamily. In a 2004 study, different relationships among the callichthyines were found: Dianema and Hoplosternum form the most basal clade, and Callichthys is sister to Lepthoplosternum and Megalechis . There are currently four recognized species in this genus: The genus Callichthys can be readily distinguished from other callichthyids by having the coracoids covered by skin and not exposed ventrally,
960-483: The surface of the water and passing it back to the hind gut. The walls of the gut are lined with tiny blood vessels into which the oxygen from the air can pass, similar to the function of true lungs. The remaining gasses pass out through the anus. When there is a severe drought, these air breathers are able to traverse short stretches of land seeking better conditions. The fish is also capable of making sounds, both grunts and squeaks. Spawning has been accomplished in
992-484: The two callichthyid subfamilies occurred at least by the late Paleocene. It also suggests an earlier differentiation of loricarioids in comparison to other catfishes, or a lack of older fossils of other Neotropical groups. A fossil identified as a Hoplosternum species has also been identified from the middle Miocene in the La Venta formation, Magdalena River basin, Colombia . The Neotropical family Callichthyidae
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1024-620: The two subfamilies have eight genera and about 177 species, accounting for about 7% of all catfish. Most of these species are in the genus Corydoras , the largest catfish genus. The subfamily Corydoradinae includes about 90% of the species in the family Callichthyidae and is one of the most diverse siluriform assemblages in the Neotropics , with about 170 valid species. It includes two tribes, Aspidoradini and Corydoradini . Aspidoradini contains Aspidoras and Scleromystax , while Corydoradini contains Corydoras and Brochis . Some believe
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