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Nathan Lujan (1) Jan Meerman (1) Erick Sosa Rodriguez (1)

Description: This species has the following characters: pigmented body; functional eyes; dorsal fin base 14.4-19.4% of SL; origin of adipose fin anterior to the anus; maxillary barbels extend beyond pelvic fin origin; adipose fin insertion closer to the dorsal fin than to the caudal fin. Colouration: Brown body with a distinct lateral longitudinal dark band. Habitat: Rhamdia guatemalensis occupies main channel of rivers and streams, either with turbid waters and high sediment loads or with transparent waters and few nutrients. It prefers pools and slow-flowing waters of different depths and has plant material deposits and heavy substrates such as rocks and stones which serve as shelter for this fish during the day. Aquarium Care: Treat as you would do with any member of the Pimelodus in that they will be predatory on small fishes in the aquarium and it is also better to keep them in small groups rather than singularly, as this will dilute the aggression. Diet: Will eat any aquarium prepared foods such as tablets, pellets, frozen and live foods. Not fussy eaters.

Pale catfish

Pimelodus guatemalensis

Heptapteridae

America: Trans-Andean region of Colombia to southern Mexico.

23.0cm. (9ins)

24-26°C (75-79°F)

6.0-7.0.

Henández, C.L., A. Ortega-Lara, G.C. Sánchez-Garcés and M.H. Alford, 2015. Genetic and morphometric evidence for the recognition of several recently synonymized species of Trans-Andean Rhamdia (Pisces: Siluriformes: Heptapteridae). Copeia 103(3):563-579.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2019. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 12/2019 ).