Brachyplatystoma tigrinum

Brachyplatystoma tigrinum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Siluriformes
Family:	Pimelodidae
Genus:	Brachyplatystoma
Species:	B. tigrinum
Binomial name
Brachyplatystoma tigrinum (Britski, 1981)
Synonyms
Merodontotus tigrinus Britski, 1981

Brachyplatystoma tigrinum, the zebra shovelnose, or tigerstriped catfish, is a large species of catfish of the family Pimelodidae that is native to the Amazon basin in Brazil, Colombia and Peru.[1][2] It is entirely piscivorous.[2][3]

Distribution and habitat

B. tigrinum is found in the upper Amazon basin, with records from the western Amazon, Caquetá, Madeira, Marañon, Putumayo and Ucayali systems.[3][4] Adults mostly inhabit fast-flowing sections of whitewater rivers, but can also occur in clearwater rivers.[3][4]

Description

Although a typically reported maximum size is 60 cm (24 in), a study in Peru found many that were larger, with the largest individual being 85 cm (33 in) long and 5.2 kg (11 lb) in weight.[4] The head is elongate and compressed, and the tail has long filaments.[2] The base colour of the body is yellow to almost white and it has distinct dark stripes.[5] It is sometimes confused with B. juruense.[2]

References

1. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Brachyplatystoma tigrinum". FishBase. June 2020 version.
2. "Cat-eLog - Pimelodidae - Brachyplatystoma tigrinum". PlanetCatfish. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
3. "Brachyplatystoma tigrinum (BRITSKI, 1981) - Zebra Shovelnose". Seriously Fish. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
4. Alcántara, F.; Chu-Koo, F.; Rodríguez, L.; Chávez, C.; Tello, S.; Nuñez, J. (2008). "Relacion longitud-peso y el facot de condicion del zúngaro tigrinus Brachyplatystoma tigrinum del Río Amazonas, Loreto, Perú". Folia Amazónica. 17 (1–2): 23–28. doi:10.24841/fa.v17i1-2.263.
5. "Brachyplatystoma tigrinum (Britski, 1981)". scotcat. Retrieved 2020-06-02.