Brachyplatystoma

Brachyplatystoma
Temporal range: Middle Miocene - Recent
The fish at top is a Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii, and that below is an unidentified Brachyplatystoma.
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Pimelodidae
Genus: Brachyplatystoma
Bleeker, 1862
Type species
Platystoma vaillantii
Species

See text.

Synonyms
  • Piramutana
    Bleeker, 1858
  • Piratinga
    Bleeker, 1858
  • Taenionema
    Eigenmann & Bean, 1907
  • Goslinia
    Myers, 1941
  • Ginesia
    Fernández-Yépez, 1951
  • Merodontotus
    Britski, 1981

Brachyplatystoma is a genus of catfish from the family Pimelodidae. As the occasionally used common name goliath catfishes indicates, this genus includes some of the largest species of catfish, including the piraíba, B. filamentosum, which reaches up to the region of 3.6 metres (12 ft) in length. Brachyplatystoma are found in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, and other tropical freshwater and brackish habitats in South America. Some species are migratory. These fish are important as food fish and, to some extent, aquarium fish.

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