The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about 7,000,000 km2 (2,700,000 sq mi), or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela, as well as the territory of French Guiana.
Pseudoplatystoma is a genus of several South American catfish species of family Pimelodidae. The species are known by a number of different common names. They typically inhabit major rivers where they prefer the main channels and tend to stay at maximum depth, but some species can also be seen in lakes, flooded forests, and other freshwater habitats. They have robust bodies, and are important food fish. Recently, their population size has been on the drastic decline due to a variety of factors including overfishing and habitat destruction due to the construction of hydroelectric dams.
The Pimelodidae, commonly known as the long-whiskered catfishes, are a family of catfishes.
The redtail catfish, Phractocephalus hemioliopterus, is a pimelodid (long-whiskered) catfish. In Venezuela, it is known as cajaro, in Guyana, it is known as a banana catfish, and in Brazil, it is known as pirarara, stemming from the Tupi language words pirá and arara. It is the only extant species of the genus Phractocephalus. This fish is common in the aquarium trade, although its massive adult size makes it unsuitable for all but the largest aquariums. They feed on fish, crustaceans and fallen fruits. They are not evaluated by IUCN.
Sorubim is a small genus of long-whiskered catfish native to tropical South America. A number of characteristics allows the differentiation of each species in the genus. Sorubim species are important food fish in South America and are highly significant to fisheries of some areas; however, harvests of these fish are not identified as much as other, more popular food fishes such as Colossoma, Arapaima, and Brachyplatystoma. Some species of this family are popular aquarium fish.
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.
The firewood catfish a species of South American pimelodid catfish, is the sole member of the genus Sorubimichthys. Known by locals along the Amazon Basin as peixe-lenha, the firewood catfish is so called because it is of little eating value and is often dried and used for firewood.
The porthole shovelnose catfish or spotted shovelnose catfish, Hemisorubim platyrhynchos, is the only species in the genus Hemisorubim of the catfish family Pimelodidae.
The gilded catfish or jau is a South American catfish of the family Pimelodidae. It is also known as manguruyu or black manguruyu.
Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum, the tiger sorubim, tiger shovelnose or caparari is a species of long-whiskered catfish native to the Amazon Basin in South America.
Leiarius is a genus of long-whiskered catfishes native to South America. Most of the genus' species are found in the aquarium hobby as ornamental fish.
Brachyplatystoma juruense, the zebra catfish, is a species of catfish of the family Pimelodidae that is native to Amazon and Orinoco River basin of Peri and Rio Juruá, northwestern Brazil, as well as Peru and Venezuela.
Brachyplatystoma platynemum, the slobbering catfish, is a species of catfish of the family Pimelodidae that ranges from Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela.
Brachyplatystoma vaillantii, the Laulao catfish or piramuta, is a species of catfish of the family Pimelodidae that is native to Amazon and Orinoco River basins and major rivers of the Guianas and northeastern Brazil.
Brachyplatystoma capapretum, the dark caped goliath catfish, also called Peru piraiba catfish or false piraiba, is a species of catfish of the family Pimelodidae that is native to watershed areas of Brazil and Peru.
Brachyplatystoma filamentosum, commonly called piraíba, kumakuma, valentón or lau lau, is a species of catfish of the family Pimelodidae and genus Brachyplatystoma that is native to Amazon and Orinoco River basins and rivers in Guianas and northeastern Brazil.
Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii, the gilded catfish or dourada, is a species of catfish of the family Pimelodidae that is native to Amazon and Orinoco River basins and major rivers of French Guiana.
The Tocantins Pimelodus,, is a species of benthopelagic catfish of the family Pimelodidae that is native to Brazil.
Aguarunichthys torosus, the Bolt Catfish or Yellow-band Catfish, is a species of benthopelagic catfish of the family Pimelodidae that is native to Cenepa River basin in Amazon River drainage of Peru.
Hypophthalmus marginatus, commonly called the Mapará, is a species of demersal potamodromous catfish of the family Pimelodidae that is native to Amazon and Orinoco River basins of Brazil, Peru and major rivers of French Guiana and Suriname.
