Pterobunocephalus

Pterobunocephalus is a genus of banjo catfishes found in tropical South America.

Pterobunocephalus
Pterobunocephalus depressus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Siluriformes
Family:	Aspredinidae
Subfamily:	Aspredininae
Genus:	Pterobunocephalus Fowler, 1943
Type species
Bunocephalus albifasciatus Fowler, 1943
Synonyms
Petacara Böhlke, 1959

Distribution

The genus is widespread in the Orinoco, Amazon and Paraguay-Paraná River systems and typically occur at depths greater than 5 metres.^[1]

Description

Pterobunocephalus is genus of small to medium-sized aspredinid species.^[1] Members of this genus are distinguished from all other aspredinids by the following characters having an extremely depressed (flattened) head and body, having the head ornamentation highly reduced or absent, often having a distinct notch in the upper jaw, and having 10–20 anal fin rays.^[1] Females of this genus carry embryos directly attached to the ventral surface of their bodies, which also distinguishes them from all other aspredinids.^[1]

Species

There are currently two described species in this genus:^[2]

• Pterobunocephalus depressus (Haseman, 1911)
• Pterobunocephalus dolichurus (Delsman, 1941)