| Remarks |
This species is common in the main channel of the whitewater rivers of the Tefé region where it was found both in trawl-net samples at depths of 10-18 m and also, very abundantly, on sandy and muddy beaches sampled with seine nets. It occurs with R. eastwardi, caviceps, and electrogrammus, but not with nigrimans or navalha. The species evidently moves from deeper water into shallow beaches at night when seine nets intercept much larger numbers of this species. It is also found in the well oxygenated paraná channels that wind through the whitewater várzea floodplain flanking major whitewater rivers such as the Rio Solimões. However, at high water paraná channels fill with hypoxic water emanating from adjacent flooded forests, and all species of Rhabdolichops, along with other riverine gymnotiforms, migrate out into the main river channels. Small numbers of this species were found in the lower reaches of Lago Tefé, a blackwater lake containing low-conductivity water. The preferred habitat of this species is turbid river water with electrical conductivity in the range of 80-150 µScm-1. There in no information about the breeding habits of this species. Mature males and females were found during the rising water phase of the Amazon River and were encountered among many other immature specimens on beaches. This fish feeds on aquatic invertebrates-mainly larvae of Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera larvae, also of Coleoptera and Chironomidae. Some specimens had also ingested large amounts of adult Conchostraca (Ref. 55969). |