PlanetCatfish.com - Megalonema platycephalum (Pimelodidae) Cat-eLog

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Megalonema platycephalum** Eigenmann, 1912
Common Name
Type Locality	Tumatumari, Guyana.
Etymology	(Greek)Megas, Megalos=Great + (Greek)nema=filament. This specific epithet refers to its broad(platys=broad, wide) head(kephale, -um=head).
Species Information
Size	300mm or 11.8" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Can be offered for sale under as Piramutana piramuta, this name is currently a junior synonym of the much larger B. vailliantii (although these fish do look similar when young).
General Remarks	The maximum size is a reasonable guess (the holotype is 126mm SL).
Habitat Information
Distribution	South America: Amazon, Essequibo and Orinoco River basins. Amazon (click on these areas to find other species found there) Orinoco (click on these areas to find other species found there) Guyana Waters, Coastal Rivers of Guyanas, Essequibo (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
Breeding	Unreported.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Memoirs of the Carnegie Museum v. 5 (no. 1), pp150, Fig. 31, Pl. 10 (fig. 2).
Registered Keepers	There are 7 registered keepers, view all "my cats" data.
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 are 5 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
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	Look up M. platycephalum on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.15.257.1186
Last Update	2025 Jan 02 01:37 (species record created: 2004 Jan 16 00:00)