Pseudoplatystoma punctifer

Pseudoplatystoma punctifer or spotted tiger shovelnose catfish^[2] is a species of long-whiskered catfish native to the Amazon basin, in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.^[3] It is a commercially farmed species, and it is difficult to harvest as it appears to be highly selective with its diet^[4] and exhibits cannibalistic behaviors. Other behaviors and developmental patterns vary based on both diet as well as parental behaviors that influence the organisms development from the Larval stage.^[5]

Spotted tiger shovelnose catfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Siluriformes
Family:	Pimelodidae
Genus:	Pseudoplatystoma
Species:	P. punctifer
Binomial name
Pseudoplatystoma punctifer (Castelnau, 1855)[1]
Synonyms
Platystoma punctifer Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum punctifer Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum intermedium Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum brevifile Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum nigricans

This species reaches a maximum of 140 cm (55 in) in total length; 37–40 vertebrae.^[3]