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Laulao catfish
Brachyplatystoma vaillantii
Brachyplatystoma vaillantii, the Laulao catfish, piramutaba or piramuta, is a species of catfish of the family Pimelodidae that is native to Amazon and Orinoco River basins and major rivers of the Guianas and northeastern Brazil.
From the article Brachyplatystoma vaillantii on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
It grows to a length of 150 centimetres (59 in), though is more commonly 80 centimetres (31 in). Dorsum dark to light grey or brown, no spots or stripes. Ventrum much paler to give striking counter shading. It is the sister species to all other species in the genus, and the type species.
Range & habitat
It is a much widespread species that is found in rivers and estuaries of Amazon and Orinoco watersheds, Guianas and northeastern Brazil.
Wikipedia: “Distribution”
What it does
It is found in both freshwater and brackish water systems. It is a demersal potamodromous fish commonly inhabits muddy waters and deeper, flowing channels. Developing young are carried downriver by the current, ending up in estuaries. Juveniles and sub adults are migratory. It is entirely piscivorous preying on loricariids and other bottom-dwelling fish.
Wikipedia: “Ecology”
In human culture
The fish is named in honor of François Levaillant (1753-1824) a French explorer, naturalist and zoological collector, who brought the type specimens to Europe.
Wikipedia: “Etymology”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Brachyplatystoma vaillantii in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 49211.