PlanetCatfish.com - Pimelodus blochii (Pimelodidae) Cat-eLog

Rio Negro Northwest of Manaus near Anavilhan Is.
Adult
Stamp
Collected in the River Maroni system
Upper Rio Negro, Brazil
Rio Sucunduri

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Pimelodus blochii** Valenciennes, 1840
Common Name	Four-lined Pimelodus
Type Locality	Suriname.
Synonym(s)	Pimelodus clarias, Pseudorhamdia macronema, Pseudorhamdia piscatrix
Pronunciation	pim ee LOW duss
Etymology	pimele, fat; –odes, having the form of, i.e., fatty, referring to their adipose fins (at the time, this was a catch-all genus for many catfish species, most of which possess a “fatty” or adipose fin) [note: many online references report that –odes is derived from odous, meaning teeth, but this is incorrect].
Species Information
Size	350mm or 13.8" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification	Variable, indistinct colouration. Many colour variations exist which may be separate species or sub-species.
Sexing	Unknown
Habitat Information
Distribution	South America: Gulf of Paria, Amazon, Corantijns, Essequibo, and Orinoco basins. Amazon (click on these areas to find other species found there) Orinoco (click on these areas to find other species found there) Gulf of Paria (click on these areas to find other species found there) Guyana Waters, Coastal Rivers of Guyanas, Suriname Coastal Rivers, Corintijns (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	Not Evaluated
pH	6.0 - 7.2
Temperature	20.0-26.0°C or 68-78.8°F (Show species within this range)
Other Parameters	Undemanding
Husbandry Information
Feeding	An unfussy omnivore. Most prepared foods are taken and the fish will happily gorge itself on live or frozen foods. Bloodworm induces a feeding frenzy and is good for acclimatizing new, smaller acquisitions. The fish will eat huge amounts in one day, its belly swelling to resemble a marble and can comfortably live off this for up to a week. User data.
Furniture	These fish will be considerably more active if given lots of cover at the sides of the aquarium that they can dart into when spooked. Floating plants are also a good idea as water current is unimportant.
Compatibility	Peaceful but will eat smaller fish.
Suggested Tankmates	Larger active fish such as tetras, most barbs and gouramis. They can also be kept in groups but do not suffer from being kept singly. Angelfish and other ''graceful'' fish are sometimes bothered by this species' barbels particularly during ''lights-out''.
Breeding	Unreported in the aquarium.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Histoire naturelle des poissons v. 15, pp 188.
Registered Keepers	There are 51 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 11 records of this fish being seen, view them all.
Forum BBCode

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	Look up P. blochii on Encyclopedia of Life
	Look up P. blochii on Global Biodiversity Information Facility
	LFS label creator ARN ref:1.15.101.653
Last Update	2025 Jan 02 01:38 (species record created: 2001 Aug 05 00:00)