Pimelodidae

Tiger Spatelwels ( Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum )

The catfish ( Pimelodidae ) are in the rivers of Central and South America, from the extreme southern Mexico native to northern Argentina and on islands of the Caribbean. With over 110 species in about 30 genera they are a very diverse catfish family.

Features

The name derives from the family three pairs of long, thin barbels, of which the upper jaw barbels are longest and can extend beyond the caudal fin. Generally they are elongated towards the front. The head is large and can be much flattened. It is in many species covered only by a very thin skin, so that the skull bones are easy to see. The mouth is terminal. The body is scaleless, stretched and often very long. The lateral line is usually complete, straight or slightly curved. The smallest species Megalonema pauciradiatum is only 3.8 inches tall, while Brachyplatystoma filamentosum reaches a length of 3.6 meters. The dorsal fin is located relatively far forward. You and the pectoral fins have in most cases a fin spine. The caudal fin is usually deeply forked, sometimes with extended tips, or rounded. The adipose fin is well developed, often involving very large and in a few species with the tail fin.

Way of life

Catfish inhabit large streams, forest lakes and streams. Particularly common are they in the murky white water rivers of the Amazon basin. They are mostly crepuscular and nocturnal. Most species are solitary, but many also live in small groups. Catfish feed on fish, crustaceans and other invertebrates. Large species can prey up to the size of a monkey also smaller mammals. Some species also eat fruit. The reproduction is largely unknown. Many species undertake spawning migrations.

Outer systematics

The catfish form with the big mouth - whiskered catfish ( Pseudopimelodidae ), the Heptapteridae and the family no way associated Conorhynchos conirostris the superfamily Pimelodoidea.

Inside systematics

There are about 110 species, which are assigned to about 30 species.

• Genus Steindachneridion Steindachneridion amblyurum ( Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1888)
• Steindachneridion doceanum ( Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1889)
• Steindachneridion melanodermatum Garavello, 2005
• Steindachneridion scriptum ( Miranda Ribeiro, 1918)
• Steindachneridion parahybae ( Steindachner, 1877)
• Steindachneridion punctatum ( Miranda Ribeiro, 1918)

• Genus Leiarius Leiarius arekaima ( Jardine, 1841)
• Leiarius longibarbis ( Castelnau, 1855)
• Leiarius marmoratus ( Gill, 1870)
• Sail catfish ( Leiarius pictus ) ( Müller & Troschel, 1849)

• Redtail catfish ( Phractocephalus hemioliopterus ) Bloch & Schneider, 1801

• Genus Aguarunichthys Aguarunichthys inpai Zuanon, Rapp Py -Daniel & Jégu, 1993
• Aguarunichthys tocantinsensis Zuanon, Rapp Py -Daniel & Jégu, 1993
• Aguarunichthys torosus Stewart, 1986

• Calophysus macropterus (Lichtenstein, 1819)

• Luciopimelodus pati ( Valenciennes, 1835)

• Pimelodina flavipinnis Steindachner, 1877

• Pinirampus pirinampu ( Spix & Agassiz, 1829)

• Genus Bagropsis Bagropsis reinhardti Lütken, 1874

• Bergiaria platana ( Steindachner, 1908)
• Bergiaria wester manni ( Lütken, 1874)

• Cheirocerus abuelo ( Schultz, 1944)
• Cheirocerus eques Eigenmann, 1917
• Cheirocerus goeldii ( Steindachner, 1908)

• Duopalatinus emarginatus ( Valenciennes, 1840)
• Duopalatinus peruanus Eigenmann & Allen, 1942

• Exallodontus aguanai Lundberg, Mago -Leccia & Wet, 1991

• Iheringichthys labrosus ( Lütken, 1874)
• Iheringichthys megalops Eigenmann & Ward, 1907

• Parapimelodus nigribarbis ( Boulenger, 1889)
• Parapimelodus valenciennis ( Lütken, 1874)

• Pimelodus absconditus Azpelicueta, 1995
• Pimelodus albicans ( Valenciennes, 1840)
• Pimelodus albofasciatus Mees, 1974
• Pimelodus altissimus Eigenmann & Pearson, 1942
• Pimelodus argenteus Perugia, 1891
• Pimelodus atrobrunneus Vidal & Lucena, 1999
• Pimelodus blochii Valenciennes, 1840
• Pimelodus brevis Marini, Nichols & La Monte, 1933
• Pimelodus britskii Garavello & Shibatta, 2007
• Pimelodus coprophagus Schultz, 1944
• Pimelodus for ( Lütken, 1874)
• Pimelodus garciabarrigai Dahl, 1961
• Pimelodus grosskopfii Steindachner, 1879
• Pimelodus halisodous Ribeiro, Lucena & Lucinda, 2008
• Pimelodus heraldoi Azpelicueta, 2001
• Pimelodus Jivaro Eigenmann & Pearson, 1942
• Pimelodus joannis Ribeiro, Lucena & Lucinda, 2008
• Pimelodus maculatus Lacepede, 1803
• Pimelodus microstoma Steindachner, 1877
• Pimelodus mysteriosus Azpelicueta, 1998
• Pimelodus navarroi Schultz, 1944
• Pimelodus ornatus Kner, 1858 Angel catfish ( Pimelodus pictus)
• Pimelodus ortmanni Haseman, 1911
• Pimelodus pantaneiro Souza - Filho & Shibatta, 2007
• Pimelodus paranaensis Britski & Langeani, 1988
• Pimelodus parvus Boulenger, 1898
• Angel catfish ( Pimelodus pictus) Steindachner, 1876
• Pimelodus pintado Azpelicueta, Lundberg & Loureiro, 2008
• Pimelodus platicirris Borodin, 1927
• Pimelodus Pohli Ribeiro & Lucena, 2006
• Pimelodus punctatus (Meek & Hildebrand, 1913)
• Pimelodus stewarti Ribeiro, Lucena & Lucinda, 2008
• Pimelodus tetramerus Ribeiro & Lucena, 2006

• Platysilurus malarmo Schultz, 1944
• Platysilurus mucosus ( Vaillant, 1880)
• Platysilurus olallae ( Orce, 1977)

• Platystomatichthys sturio ( Kner, 1858)

• Propimelodus araguayae Rocha, de Oliviera & Rapp Py -Daniel, 2007
• Propimelodus caesius Parisi, Lundberg & Donascimiento, 2006
• Propimelodus eigenmanni ( van der Stigchel, 1946)

• Genus Zungaro Zungarowels ( Zungaro Zungaro ) ( Humboldt, 1821)

• Genus Hemisorubim Hemisorubim platyrhynchos ( Valenciennes, 1840)

• Leopard catfish ( Perrunichthys perruno ) Schultz, 1944

• Sorubim cuspicaudus Littmann, Burr & Wet, 2000
• Sorubim elongatus Littmann, Burr, Schmidt & Isern, 2001
• Spatelwels ( Sorubim lima ) ( Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
• Sorubim maniradii Littmann, Burr & Buitrago - Suarez, 2001
• Sorubim Trigonocephalus Miranda - Ribeiro, 1920

• Sorubimichthys planiceps ( Spix & Agassiz, 1829)

• Genus Brachyplatystoma top Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii; below an indefinite Brachyplatystoma Type Subgenus Brachyplatystoma: Brachyplatystoma juruense ( Boulenger, 1898)
• Brachyplatystoma platynemum Boulenger, 1898
• Brachyplatystoma tigrinum ( Britski, 1981)
• Brachyplatystoma vaillantii ( Valenciennes, 1840)

• Brachyplatystoma capapretum Lundberg & Akama, 2005
• Brachyplatystoma filamentosum (Lichtenstein, 1819)
• Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii ( Castelnau, 1855)

• Platynematichthys notatus ( Jardine & Schomburgk Schomburgk, 1841)

• Genus Hypophthalmus Spix & Agassiz Hypophthalmus edentatus, 1829
• Hypophthalmus fimbriatus Kner, 1857
• Hypophthalmus marginatus Valenciennes, 1840
• Hypophthalmus oremaculatus Nani & Fuster, 1947

• Megalonema amaxanthum Lundberg & Dahdul, 2008
• Megalonema argentinum ( MacDonagh, 1938)
• Megalonema orixanthum Lundberg & Dahdul, 2008
• Megalonema pauciradiatum Eigenmann, 1919
• Megalonema platanum ( Günther, 1880)
• Megalonema platycephalum Eigenmann, 1912
• Megalonema psammium Schultz, 1944
• Megalonema xanthum Eigenmann, 1912

• Zungaropsis multimaculatus Steindachner, 1908