Red Fin Uruguay

Fascinating facts about the Red Fin Uruguay

• When the Sete-Quedas Falls were flooded, the red-finned Uruguay spread into the upper Paraná.
• In its native rivers the water runs between 16.8 °C and 27.8 °C, with a pH that can climb as high as 9.2, showing the catfish thrives in warm, slightly alkaline, often murky waters.
• A single individual can grow to 60.5 cm long and weigh at least 1.8 kg.
• The species tolerates turbidity from 23.7 up to 442 NTU and oxygen levels between 6.1 and 9.1 mg/L.
• Its scientific name honors French naturalist Philibert Commerson, whose sketch was mistakenly labeled by Lacépède, linking the fish’s identity to a historic taxonomic mix-up.

At a glance

About the Red Fin Uruguay

The red-finned Uruguay, Hypostomus commersoni, reaches a total length of 60.5 cm (23.8 in) and can weigh at least 1.8 kg (4.0 lb). It occurs in the Paraná River drainage, including the Iguazu, Paraguay, Río de la Plata, and Dulce rivers, and spread into the upper Paraná after the inundation of the SeteQuedas Falls. It inhabits rivers with muddy substrates and moderate currents, where water temperatures are 16.8 °C to 27.8 °C (62.2 °F to 82.0 °F), pH 7.2 to 9.2, turbidity 23.7 to 442 NTU, oxygen 6.1 to 9.1 mg/L, and conductivity 1.087 to 2.654 µS/cm. It also appears in the aquarium trade under the name Commerson's pleco.

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