Callichthys

Callichthys, a genus of small fishes of the family Siluridae (q.v.), with twelve species, from the rivers of tropical America, flowing into the Atlantic. The mouth is small, with a pair of barbels, which are united at the base, on each side; head covered with bony plates, body with similar protection in two rows on each side. The eggs are deposited in nests made of leaves, which the male and female guard in turn. In the hot season, when the rivers dry up, these fish bury themselves in the mud, and they are said to be able to make their way across the land to other water.