Brachyplatystoma
Brachyplatystoma is a genus of catfish from the family Pimelodidae sometimes collectively termed the goliath catfishes. As this common name indicates, this genus includes some of the largest species of catfish, including the piraíba, B. filamentosum, which reaches up to in length; though the other species (and indeed most individuals of B. filamentosum) don't reach this length. Brachyplatystoma are found in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, and other tropical freshwater and brackish habitats in South America. All species are migratory, which makes them important as food fish across their wid
Species
GENUS
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassTeleostei
- OrderSiluriformes
- FamilyPimelodidae
Habitatbrackish, freshwater
via GBIF
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Classification
- Anatomy and appearance
- Distribution and habitat
- Ecology
- Migration
- Relationship to humans
- In the aquarium
- References
Brachyplatystoma is a genus of catfish from the family Pimelodidae sometimes collectively termed the goliath catfishes. As this common name indicates, this genus includes some of the largest species of catfish, including the piraíba, B. filamentosum, which reaches up to in length; though the other species (and indeed most individuals of B. filamentosum) don't reach this length. Brachyplatystoma are found in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, and other tropical freshwater and brackish habitats in South America. All species are migratory, which makes them important as food fish across their wide range. Some are also kept as aquarium fish.
==Classification== Brachyplatystoma is derived from the Greek words brachy, platy, and stoma, which mean "short", "flat", and "mouth", respectively. This genus was described in 1862 by Pieter Bleeker.