All FishesPseudopimelodidaePseudopimelodus  |  | 

Hop to next section All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name Pseudopimelodus bufonius  (Valenciennes, 1840)
Common Names Giant Bumblebee Catfish
Jello Catfish, Jelly Catfish
Type Locality Cayenne, French Guiana [probably Paramaribo, Suriname].
Synonym(s) Pimelodus bufonius
Pronunciation sue doh pim EE low duss - boo fawn ee iss
Etymology Greek, pseudes = false + greek, pimele = fat + Greek, odous = teeth
False pimelodus. 
Hop to next section Species Information
Size 245mm or 9.6" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification A species with an incredibly wide distribution, these fish are likely a group of species.
Sexing Males have a pointed genital papillae.
Hop to next section Habitat Information
Distribution South America: Rivers of northeastern South America from Lake Maracaibo to eastern Brazil!
Guyana Waters, Coastal Rivers of Guyanas, Suriname Coastal Rivers (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Lake Maracaibo (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Amazon (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Orinoco (click on these areas to find other species found there)
Lake Maracaibo (click on these areas to find other species found there)

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IUCN Red List Category Least Concern, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2020.
pH 5.6 - 7.6
Temperature 24.0-28.0°C or 75.2-82.4°F (Show species within this range)
Hop to next section Husbandry Information
Feeding Not a fussy feeder, doesn't require but will greedily accept feeder fish, crustaceans and all meaty frozen or live foods. Will also readily accept sinking pellets. User data.
Furniture Requires a shady retreat such as a pipe or large piece of bogwood. Doesn't require a specific substrate although, in nature, is found over sand substrate in leaf litter deposits matching its colouration pattern. In situ it is an adept ambush predator.
Compatibility Not aggressive territorially, generally skitish during the day and prone to hiding away until darkness when it becomes very predatory with tankmates of equal to smaller size.
Suggested Tankmates A larger fish tank. Silver dollars, larger armoured catfish and bigger south American cichlids are best. Essentially tankmates should be 25%-50% larger than this fish.
Breeding Unreported.
Breeding Reports There is no breeding report.
Hop to next section Further Information
Reference Histoire naturelle des poissons v. 15, pp 154.
Registered Keepers There is no registered keeper.
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There is no wish to keep this species.
Spotters Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars!
There are 8 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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Last Update 2020 Aug 08 09:10 (species record created: 2002 Oct 19 00:00)