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he topic for this months factsheet of June 2023 is from the Pseudopimelodidae family and the Giant Bumblebee Catfish, aka Pseudopimelodus bufonius. This is a pretty patterned catfish that should only be kept with the same size or larger tank mates as it can be predatory at night. The common name "Giant" may be a misnomer growing to 24.5cm. (9¾ins) standard length (S.L. Standard length as measured from the snout to the caudal peduncle) and not growing as large as the large pims we see in the hobby, but it can still pack a punch at feeding times.

 Pseudopimelodus bufonius

Pseudopimelodus now includes six species P. atricaudus, P. bufonius, P. charus, P. magnus, P. mangurus, and P. schultzi, although this number is expected to increase, given the high genetic divergence observed among its members (Rangel-Medrano, Ortega-Lara & Márquez, 2020).

 Pseudopimelodus bufonius - head view

This species is very wide spread throughout the rivers of northeastern South America from the Lake Maracaibo basin to eastern Brazil and the Magdalena and Cauca River basins Colombia, with probably a few undescribed species mixed in with that scenario and the type locality of French Guiana and the Guiana Shield may be restricted to P. bufonius in the future (Grant, S. 2021).

Giant Bumblebee Catfish

Pimelodus bufonius

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South America: Rivers of northeastern South America from Lake Maracaibo basin to eastern Brazil and Magdalena and Cauca River basins, Colombia. Type locality: Cayenne, French Guiana.

24.5cm. (9¾ins)

24-28°C (75-83°F)

Caudal fin forked; adpressed dorsal fin reaching no more than about half way the distance between dorsal and adipose fins; pectoral fins with 7 rays.

Very predatory so tank mates would have to be of similar size or larger. Give this species plenty of hiding places to keep it happy in its surroundings. It will need a large tank and regular water changes to keep this catfish in good health.

Not recorded

Males seem to be more slender and have a lighter all over colouration from the females.

Will eat most foods such as frozen, live, sinking tablets and pellets. Feed every other day as they will get obese.

Adipose fin: Fleshy finlike projection without rays, behind the rayed dorsal fin.
Caudal fin: The tail.
Conspecifics: Belonging to the same species; individuals or populations of the same species.
Dorsal fin: The primary rayed fin(s) on top of the body.
Lotic: Applies to or pertaining to running water; living in a brook or river, as opposed to lentic or still waters.
Macrophytes: Large plants.
Pectoral fins: The paired fins just behind the head.

Pseudopimelodus: Pseudos = fallacy; pimelodus = fatty.
bufonius: Latin, Bufo=toad, and latin = ius = comparing the colour pattern of the holotype to that of a brown toad.

Photo Credits

© Iain Briggs
Map: © Google 2023.