AquaticRepublic.com - Pseudobunocephalus amazonicus (Aspredinidae) All Fishes

All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Pseudobunocephalus amazonicus** (Mees, 1989)
Common Name
Type Locality	Creek near Todos Santos, upper course of Río Mamoré, Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Synonym(s)	Bunocephalus amazonicus, Dysichthys amazonicus
Pronunciation	sue doh boon oh SEFF ah luss. - ah mah zohn ick uss
Etymology	The generic name is a combination of the Greek word pseudes, meaning false or deceptive, plus the aspredinid genus Bunocephalus. It alludes to the fact that members of this genus have previously been mistaken for juveniles of various species of Bunocephalus.
Species Information
Size	45mm or 1.8" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Relatively small (less than 80 mm SL) banjo catfishes distinguished from other aspredinids by having the following unique characters: the dentary teeth are restricted to broad tooth patch near symphysis of lower jaw (vs. more broadly distributed along the length of the dentary); the metapterygoid lacks a bony connection with the quadrate; the posterior end of autopalatine is distinctly forked and bears two separate terminal cartilages; the absence of the fourth pharyngobranchial; the absence of gill rakers on all branchial arches; and the lack of bifid hemal spines on vertebrae that articulate with anal-fin pterygiophores. Other characters not unique to this genus, but still useful for distinguishing it from other aspredinid genera include: the anterior limits of upper and lower jaws are approximately equal (also in Acanthobunocephalus); the lateral line is truncated at approximately the level of the dorsal-fin origin (also in Acanthobunocephalus); the dorsal- and ventral-most principal caudal rays much shorter in length than other principal caudal rays (also in Acanthobunocephalus); the dorsal- and anal-fin membranes are not adnate with body (also in Acanthobunocephalus); the interhyal is absent (also in Hoplomyzon); and the abdominal and precaudal centra lack bony horizontal lamina (also in Dupouyichthys, Ernstichthys, Hoplomyzon and Micromyzon).
Habitat Information
Distribution	South America: upper and middle Amazon River basin. Amazon, Middle Amazon (Solimoes), Madeira, Mamoré (click on these areas to find other species found there) Amazon, Upper Amazon (click on these areas to find other species found there) Amazon, Middle Amazon (Solimoes) (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map.
IUCN Red List Category	Least Concern , range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2020.
Husbandry Information
Compatibility	Peaceful.
Suggested Tankmates	Can be kept singly or in groups given adequate refuge for each individual. Young fish like to hide vertically in bushy plants. Older fish will burrow in sand or fine, rounded gravel as well as under stones or bogwood.
Breeding	Unreported.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Proceedings of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen (Series C, Biological and Medical Sciences) v. 92 (no. 2), pp 241, Fig. 21.
Registered Keepers	There is no registered keeper.
Wishlists	Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There is no wish to keep this species.
Spotters	Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There is but a single record of this fish being seen, view it.
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	Look up P. amazonicus on PlanetCatfish.com
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	Look up P. amazonicus on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up P. amazonicus on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.10.384.1057
Last Update	2025 Jan 02 01:40 (species record created: 2003 Jun 28 00:00)