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Pseudopimelodus bufonius, a South American catfish



Pseudopimelodus bufonius, a South American catfish (photo: Jose L.O. Birindelli).

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 2015Gross 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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