Taxonomy & naming
Centromochlus perugiae was originally described by the Austrian ichthyologist Franz Steindachner in 1882 under the combination Tatia perugiae, and it has since passed through several generic placements. The GBIF record and hobbyist literature list Duringlanis perugiae as an additional synonym used in older literature; the Catalog of Fishes places the species in Centromochlus, within the subfamily Centromochlinae of the family Auchenipteridae. The ScotCat factsheet and much older trade literature use Duringlanis perugiae, so aquarists searching secondhand sources should expect to find both names.
The epithet perugiae honours the Italian naturalist and explorer Emilio Perugia, a nineteenth-century figure associated with Steindachner's ichthyological circle. The genus Centromochlus is a small clade of compact driftwood cats; the species sits within Siluriformes, the vast catfish order, and shares the family Auchenipteridae with the many Tatia and Trachelyopterus species common in the South American trade.
Morphology
Centromochlus perugiae is a slim, elongate catfish with the broad flattened head and three-pair barbel arrangement typical of auchenipterids: one long, thread-like maxillary pair and two shorter, branched mandibular pairs. The body is pale to mid-brown with a fine dark reticulation — a honeycomb or oil-drop patterning that gives the fish its trade names. The fins are hyaline to slightly dusky. Reported maximum size is 2 in SL (FishBase) to 2.5 in SL (Seriously Fish), making it one of the smallest members of the family and well suited to modest aquaria.
Like all auchenipterids the skin is completely scaleless and naked, carrying no bony armour. This makes it sensitive to copper-based medications and many other treatments (see "In the aquarium"). The dorsal and pectoral fins bear the stiff, serrated, locking spines common to the order; the spine can lock erect and tangle destructively in a net, so the fish should always be moved in a container. Sexual dimorphism is centred on the anal fin: in mature males the anterior rays are modified into a copulatory organ (an intromittent structure), which distinguishes the sexes once the fish approach breeding condition.
Habitat
Centromochlus perugiae is distributed across Peru, Ecuador and Brazil, inhabiting swift-flowing rivers and streams in the upper and western Amazon basin. Seriously Fish records it from environments with strong current and sandy or mixed substrates, with plenty of submerged wood and leaf litter providing daytime refuges. It is a benthopelagic species — living and foraging close to the riverbed.
Water conditions in the wild span a broad range: pH 4.9–8.0 has been recorded across collecting sites (Seriously Fish), reflecting both blackwater headwater streams and more circumneutral mid-level rivers. Temperature range is warm tropical, approximately 75–86 °F. Hardness spans soft to moderately hard (1–25 °H). In the aquarium, neutral water conditions (pH around 6.5–7.5) are most commonly recommended as a practical middle ground, with soft to moderately hard hardness. This is not a rift-lake or hard-water species.
Feeding
In the wild Centromochlus perugiae is an insectivorous and carnivorous bottom feeder, taking aquatic invertebrates — insect larvae, small worms, crustaceans and other benthic invertebrates — from the riverbed after dark. It is not a herbivore or detritivore in the usual sense, and it relies on live or meaty prey in nature.
In the aquarium it accepts a range of foods: frozen bloodworm and tubifex are eagerly taken, and it can be conditioned onto good-quality sinking dried foods and prepared pellets. Aqua-Fish observers note it emerges readily from cover for bloodworms even when otherwise shy. Because the species is nocturnal and will be out-competed by diurnal tankmates, feeding after lights-out ensures it receives its share. Small, frequent portions of meaty sinking food suit it best.
Mating
Centromochlus perugiae employs the internal fertilisation strategy shared across the driftwood catfish family Auchenipteridae — a reproductive mode rare among catfish and striking among bony fish generally. The male's anal fin is modified into an intromittent organ: during mating the fish pair closely and the male inseminates the female internally. The female then stores the sperm in her genital tract and can later lay fertile eggs over a period of days to weeks without further contact with the male.
Aqua-Fish records the interval between copulation and egg-laying as approximately 24–48 hours under aquarium conditions, though the sperm-storage capacity of the family means the interval can be longer in nature. The anal fin modification that enables this is also the most reliable way to sex mature adults in the aquarium: the first rays of the male's anal fin are thickened and fused into the copulatory structure, while the female's anal fin is normal and soft-rayed.
Breeding
Breeding Centromochlus perugiae in the aquarium is possible and has been documented in the hobby. After internal fertilisation the female deposits clutches of eggs in a sheltered site — the species is associated with cave or crevice spawning, using driftwood hollows, bamboo tube retreats or dense leaf litter as a deposition site. Aqua-Fish notes the female retains some custody of the eggs after laying, suggesting at least brief maternal attention, though detailed accounts of post-hatch care in the hobby remain sparse.
Conditioning a group with varied live and frozen meaty foods, providing ample hiding places, and maintaining good soft to neutral water quality are the practical prerequisites. Separating the eggs or fry into a rearing vessel once discovered is advisable. The internal fertilisation means that females in a mature mixed group may produce fertile eggs even when kept away from males for some time — a quirk worth knowing when moving fish between tanks.
In the aquarium
Centromochlus perugiae is a manageable species for a specialist nano or species tank. Its small adult size — a confirmed 2–2.5 in SL — means a well-filtered, current-rich tank of 23.5–31.5 in is sufficient for a small group, though larger is always better for water stability. Provide a strong flow (a powerhead or spray-bar), plenty of driftwood, bamboo tubes, bogwood hollows or ceramic retreats, and a fine sandy or mixed substrate; the fish spends the daylight hours tucked inside cover and only becomes active and visible after dark.
Two mandatory care points apply. First, the skin is completely scaleless and unplated, making the fish sensitive to copper-based treatments and many standard medications: dose conservatively (half-dose is prudent for copper), and prefer formalin/salt or species-specific alternatives where possible. Second, the pectoral and dorsal spines lock erect when the fish is alarmed and will tangle catastrophically in a net, with risk to both the fish and the keeper; always transfer the fish with a smooth plastic container. It is peaceful toward conspecifics and similarly sized tankmates, though it may be active enough to disturb very shy or slow species. Regular water changes and good biological filtration are essential.
Conservation
Centromochlus perugiae has not been formally assessed by the IUCN Red List and carries the status Not Evaluated (NE). No specific population data, range estimates or threat assessments appear in the available literature for this species as a distinct unit.
Its native range spans the western and upper Amazon basin across Peru, Ecuador and Brazil — a large and still largely intact river system. It is established in the aquarium trade and appears regularly in specialist shipments, described as widely available by FishBase. While no targeted conservation concern is on record, its dependence on intact flowing-water habitats with driftwood and clean substrate makes it sensitive to deforestation-driven sedimentation and river modification in the Amazon headwaters. As with most small, niche-trade catfishes, aquarium supply relies primarily on wild collection.