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Pseudopimelodus bufonius is a present-day species of catfish (infraclass Teleosti, order Siluriformes, family Pseudopimildidae) found in Mato Grosso Province of Brazil in the Rio Coluene, a tributary of the Xingu River. Siluriformes are
a very widespread order of mainly freshwater and riverine fishes which
first appeared during the Eocene period (55-35 mya). The family
Pseudopimelodidae includes five additional genera and about 32 valid species, distributed throughout the Neotropical
region, from the río Atrato in Colombia to the río de la Plata in
Argentina (Lundberg et al., 1991; Abrahão and Shibatta 2015).Pseudopimelodus,
also called the bumblebee catfish, is a small but vividly colorful
fish with a length of 9-12 cm. The body coloring presents
plant-like camouflage, ennabling the fish to hide in tall plants growing
along the river edges. Species of Pseudopimelodus have small eyes and wide mouths, which suggest low
dependence on vision, nocturnal activity, and predatory habits
(Shibatta, 2003).The brain of Pseudopimelodus was
examined by Abrahão and Shibatta (2015). They discovered that the
cerebellum is the largest structure of the brain of
this genus, a finding typically correlated in other teleosts with a
higher degree of motor coordination. Other brain dimensions found in Pseudopimelodus
suggest a relation to carnivorous diet and an enhanced capacity for
food selection, all indicating hunting activities.
References:Abrahão, V.P. and O.A. Shibatta 2015. Gross morphology of the brain of Pseudopimelodus bufonius (Valenciennes, 1840) (Siluriformes: Pseudopimelodidae) Neotropical Ichthyology, 13(2): 255-264.Lundberg, J. G., A. H. Bornbusch & F. Mago-Leccia. 1991. Gladioglanis conquistador
n. sp. from Ecuador with diagnoses of the subfamilies Rhamdiinae
Bleeker and Pseudopimelodidae N. Subf. (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae). Copeia, 1991: 190-209..Romer, AS. 1966. Vertebrate Paleontology. University of Chicago Press.Shibatta,
O. A. 2003. Family Pseudopimelodidae (Bumblebee catfishes, dwarf
marbled catfishes). Pp. 401-405. In: Reis, R. E., S. O. Kullander &
C. J. Ferraris Jr., Check list of the freshwater fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre, Edipucrs. |
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