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Crested caracara, Caracara cheriway, with a juvenile brown hoplo in its beak. Photo courtesy Arnold Durbin.

Species Name: 
Hoplosternum littorale Hancock, 1828

Common Name(s):
Brown hoplo, Armored Catfish, Curito, Cascadu, Atipa, Tamuata, Hassa

Species Description:
The brown hoplo, Hoplosternum littorale is nearly unmistakable with its plate-like armor consisting of two rows of large bony scales running along the length of each side of the body. The armored appearance of this animal gives it the alternate common name armored catfish. Individuals range in color from dark brown to black. Two pairs of long chin barbels are present. (FWC). This species exhibits sexual size dimorphism with males growing larger than females (Machado-Allison 1986, Nico et al. 1996). In breeding males the enlarged pectoral spines are bright red in color and curve upward at the tips.

Potentially Misidentified Species:
The armored appearance of the brown hoplo makes positive identification on the east coast of Florida relatively easy. On the Gulf coast, Hoplosternum littorale may be confused for the cascarudo (Callichthys callichthys). Another non-native armored catfish of family Callichthyidae, cascarudo that has been collected from Gulf coast drainage ditches but is not considered to be established there. Brown hoplo has teeth on both the upper and lower jaws, whereas only the lower jaw of C. callichthys possesses teeth (GSMFC).

II.  HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION 

Regional Occurrence:
The native range of the brown hoplo is in tropical eastern South America. Reis (1997) indicates the species is widespread in the river systems east of the Andes and north of Buenos Aires.

The non-native Florida range of the brown hoplo currently encompasses much of peninsular Florida within which populations are established in several drainage basins from the St. Johns and and Kissimmee River drainages to Lake Trafford (Nico et al. 1996, Nico and Muench 2004). The range of the species is currently expanding northward in the state (Nico and Fuller 2007).

IRL Distribution:
Nico et al. (1996) reported the first occurrence of Hoplosternum littorale in the IRL region. This occurrence consisted of a population of hoplo living in stormwater ditches adjacent to the IRL in Brevard County. The species has been collected and positively identifieed in Brevard and Indian River counties. Nico et al. (1996) suggest that it is likely to occur in other counties of the IRL watershed and may be established there as well. Hulen (2004) suggests that official collection records maintained by FWS, USGS, FLMNH, etc., are incomplete and that H. littorale probably exists in most of the habitable freshwater systems south of Titusville.

III. LIFE HISTORY AND POPULATION BIOLOGY

Age, Size, Lifespan:
Hulen (2004) reported adult brown hoplo in his study as having a standard length (SL, measured from stout to caudal peduncle or base of the tail) ranging from 136-197 mm. Hostache and Mol (1998) indicate a lifespan of approximately 4 years.

Abundance:
Unknown.

Reproduction:
Brown hoplo exhibit high fecundity. For individuals in their native habitat Hostache and Mol (1998) report an approximate lifetime fecundity of greater than 300,000 eggs/female. Hulen (2004) suggests a lifetime fecundity of at least 50,000 eggs/female in Florida.

Sexual maturity is reached at approximately 80-86 mm SL (Machado-Allison, 1986; Nico et al. 1996).

In native waters the reproductive season coincides with the rainy season spanning from November through May (Winemiller 1987, Pascal et al. 1994, Ramnarine 1994a, Mol 1995). In the Indian River Lagoon region of Florida the breeding season occurs during the summer months, as examination of multiple adult specimens by Nico et al. (1996) in collected in December revealed that none possessed developed gonads.

Males construct bubble nests in vegetated shallows that they cover with aquatic plants and leaf litter (Mol 1994). Observations of pond-reared hoplo suggest some nests remain unused while others are used multiple times by several different spawning females. Females can spawn more than a dozen times over the course of a spawning season and each spawning event results in an egg mass containing from 5,000 to more than 50,000 eggs (Machado-Alliso 1986).

Breeding males are aggressive in protecting their territory, using the enlarged, hook-tipped pectoral spines as defensive weapons (Nico et al. 1996).

Embryology:
Embryonic development inside the eggs is rapid relative to the developmental rates of related species. Under culture eggs hatched just four days after spawning. Rapid larval growth continues after hatching, such that young reach 40 mm SL in under two months (Ramnarine 1994b, 1996).