/siluriformes/pimelodidae/pseudoplatystoma/punctifer/1.jpg "Pseudoplatystoma punctifer")
P. tigrinum (above) and P. punctifer/siluriformes/pimelodidae/pseudoplatystoma/punctifer/2.jpg "Pseudoplatystoma punctifer")
Fry colouration
 Cat-eLog Data Sheet | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Pseudoplatystoma punctifer (Castelnau, 1855) |
| Common Names | Spotted Tiger Shovelnose Catfish Palometa (Ecuador), Pintadillo Rayado (Ecuador) |
| Type Locality | Amazon River, Brazil. |
| Synonym(s) | Platystoma punctifer |
| Pronunciation | SUE doh plah tee stow mah |
| Etymology | (Greek)Pseudos=False +(Greek)platys=flat +(Greek)stoma=mouth. |
| Species Information | |
| Size | 1100mm or 43.3" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp. |
| Habitat Information | |
| Distribution | Orinoco River, Colombia and Venezuela. Orinoco (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 | |
| Feeding | Carnivore feeding on a very mixed and varied diet including earthworms, whole prawns, mussels, fish fillets, floating sticks/pellets and catfish pellets. User data. |
| Furniture | Large, spacious tank with open space for night time cruising. A large shady bogwood root or pipe that the catfish can retreat to during the day is also required. Ensure the heater is in the open and not in a place where the catfish may try and hide. When larger a hide is not necessary. |
| Compatibility | Ideally suited to life with other large fish. These catfish are predatory and will eat smaller fish if hungry. Claimed by some to behave aggressively/territorially towards other catfish. |
| Suggested Tankmates | Other large catfish such as Oxydoras, Pterodoras and Megalodoras. Other fish should always be over half of its body length. |
| Breeding | Unreported in captivity although is commercially bred via egg stripping method which is often the source of fishes entering aquarium trade. |
| Breeding Reports | There is no breeding report. |
| Further Information | |
| Reference | Animaux nouveaux or rares v. 2, pp 40, Pl. 19 (fig. 2). |
| 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. |
| Forum BBCode | |
| Search for P. punctifer | |
 | Look up P. punctifer on AquaticRepublic.com |
 | Look up P. punctifer on Fishbase |
 | Look up P. punctifer on Encyclopedia of Life |
 | Look up P. punctifer on Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| LFS label creator ARN ref:1.15.116.2264 | |
| Last Update | 2025 Jun 22 09:54 (species record created: 2009 May 04 05:19) |