Updated 16 Sept. 2024
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Subfamily PIMELODINAE Bonaparte 1835
Aguarunichthys Stewart 1986 Aguaruna, name of Jivaroan-speaking society of Amerindians who inhabit the Alto Rio Marañón region of the Peruvian Amazon where A. torosus was collected; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish
Aguarunichthys inpai Zuanon, Rapp Py-Daniel & Jégu 1993 of INPA, acronym for Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, which helped fund the authors’ field work
Aguarunichthys tocantinsensis Zuanon, Rapp Py-Daniel & Jégu 1993 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Tocantins River basin, Pará, Brazil, type locality
Aguarunichthys torosus Stewart 1986 Latin for muscular or brawny, referring to body form of this big-river fish
Bagropsis Lütken 1874 etymology not explained, probably ópsis (Gr. ὄψις), appearance, referring to similarity to other Bagrus (Bagridae) catfishes (then a catch-all genus that included several South American species)
Bagropsis reinhardti Lütken 1874 in honor of Danish zoologist Johannes Theodor Reinhardt (1816–1882), with whom Lütken collaborated on many studies and who apparently collected holotype
Bergiaria Eigenmann & Norris 1901 –aria (L. suffix), pertaining to: Latvian zoologist Friedrich Wilhelm Karl (“Carlos”) Berg (1843–1902), Museo Nacional de Buenos Aires [replacement name for Bergiella Eigenmann & Norris 1900, preoccupied by Bergiella Baker 1897 in Hymenoptera]
Bergiaria platana (Steindachner 1908) –ana (L.), belonging to: referring to Río de la Plata, Argentina, type locality
Bergiaria westermanni (Lütken 1874) patronym not identified, probably in honor of Lütken’s fellow Dutchman Gerardus Frederick Westermann (1807–1890), who helped found the Amsterdam Zoo in 1838
Calophysus Müller & Troschel 1843 etymology not explained, possibly calo-, from kállos (Gr. κάλλος), beauty, and physus, from phýsa (Gr. φύσα), bladder, referring to “delicate wreath” (translation) of caeca surrounding lateral and posterior margins of swim bladder
Calophysus macropterus (Lichtenstein 1819) large-finned, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to its exceptionally long adipose fin
Cheirocerus Eigenmann 1917 cheirós (Gr. χειρός), genitive of cheír (χείρ), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin); ceros, from kerás (Gr κεράς), horn, presumably referring to “very short, soft prolongation” of first pectoral-fin ray of C. eques
Cheirocerus abuelo (Schultz 1944) common name of this species among people living in the Maracaibo Basin, Venezuela, meaning grandfather, referring its extremely long “beard” or maxillary barbels (nearly as long as, or longer than, its total length)
Cheirocerus eques Eigenmann 1917 Latin for horseman or rider, referring to black saddle marking in front of dorsal spine, extending ⅓ down the sides
Cheirocerus goeldii (Steindachner 1908) patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of Swiss-Brazilian zoologist Émil (or Emílio) Goeldi (1859–1917), Director of the Museo Paraense and author of numerous works on the natural history of Brazil (from where this catfish was described)
Duopalatinus Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1888 duo (L.), two; palatinus (scientific Neo-Latin), referring to the palate, presumably referring to two well-separated patches of teeth (vomerine and palatine) on roof of mouth
Duopalatinus emarginatus (Valenciennes 1840) Latin for deprived of its edge, presumably referring to emarginate caudal fin of dried and mounted holotype (in which the lobes of an otherwise deeply forked caudal fin may have broken off)
Duopalatinus peruanus Eigenmann & Allen 1942 –anus (L.), belonging to: Peru, where type locality (Río Puinagua, mouth of Río Pacaya, Río Ucayali system) is situated
Exallodontus Lundberg, Mago-Leccia & Nass 1991 éxallos (Gr. έξαλλος), quite different; odontos, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to unique dentition (2–3 rows of heavy, firmly attached conical teeth on premaxillae and dentaries)
Exallodontus aguanai Lundberg, Mago-Leccia & Nass 1991 in honor of Leonidas Aguana, Universidad Central de Venezuela, whose friendship and “intrepid collaboration in the field” have contributed greatly to the authors’ research and to Venezuelan ichthyology
Iheringichthys Eigenmann & Norris 1900 in honor of German-Brazilian zoologist Hermann von Ihering (1850–1930), Director, Museu de São Paulo, Brazil; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish
Iheringichthys labrosus (Lütken 1874) Latin for large-lipped, referring to down-turned mouth surrounded by thick lips
Iheringichthys megalops Eigenmann & Ward 1907 mégas (Gr. μέγας), big; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to its very large eyes, larger than those of I. labrosus
Iheringichthys syi Azpelicueta & Britski 2012 Guaraní word for straight, referring to fine serration on anterior margin of pectoral-fin spine
Luciopimelodus Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1888 lucius (L.), pike (Esocidae), presumably referring to elongate and spatulate head, similar to that of a pike; Pimelodus, referring to previous placement of L. pati in that genus
Luciopimelodus pati (Valenciennes 1835) local Guaraní name for this catfish in Argentina
Megalonema Eigenmann 1912 mégas (Gr. μέγας), big; nḗma (Gr. νῆμα), thread or yarn, presumably referring to long maxillary barbels of M. platycephalum, which reach anal fin
Subgenus Megalonema
Megalonema pauciradiatum Eigenmann 1919 paucus (L.), few or scarce; radiatum (L.), rayed, referring to fewer anal-fin rays (9) compared with M. platanum (12)
Megalonema platanum (Günther 1880) –anum (L.), belonging to: Río de la Plata system, Argentina, type locality
Megalonema platycephalum Eigenmann 1912 flat-headed, from platýs (Gr. πλατύς), flat, and kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to flattened head between the eyes
Megalonema psammium Schultz 1944 Latin neuter adjective of psámmos (Gr. ψάμμος), sand, referring to its occurrence over the sandy areas of rivers
Subgenus Megalonema Lundberg & Dahdul 2008 eretmón (Gr. ἐρετμόν), oar or paddle, referring to paddle-like pelvic fins, i.e., an oared Megalonema
Megalonema amaxanthum Lundberg & Dahdul 2008 ama-, referring to Amazon River basin (Brazil, Guyana, Peru, Bolivia, and probably Colombia and Ecuador), where it occurs, i.e., an Amazonian M. xanthum
Megalonema orixanthum Lundberg & Dahdul 2008 ori-, referring to Orinoco River basin (Colombia, Venezuela), where it occurs, i.e., an Orinocian M. xanthum
Megalonema xanthum Eigenmann 1912 Latin neuter adjective of xanthós (Gr. ξανθός), yellow, referring to its coloration in life
Parapimelodus La Monte 1933 pará (Gr. παρά), near, “doubtless related to Pimelodus, its peculiar characters seem to warrant making it the type of a new genus”
Parapimelodus nigribarbis (Boulenger 1889) nigri-, from niger (L.), dark or black; barbis (scientific Neo-Latin), barbel, referring to its “almost black” barbels
Parapimelodus valenciennis (Lütken 1874) –is, Latin genitive singular of: patronym not identified but clearly in honor of Achille Valenciennes (1794–1865), co-author of the 22-volume Histoire Naturelle des Poissons (1828–1850), a basic reference for ichthyologists of the time
Pimelabditus Parisi & Lundberg 2009 Pimelodus, type genus of family; abditus (L.), hidden or concealed, referring to the “hidden nature of a small fish species living in the difficult-to-collect rocky bottoms of swift, large rivers” whose recent discovery was something of a surprise
Pimelabditus moli Parisi & Lundberg 2009 in honor of Dutch aquatic ecologist Jan Mol, Anton de Kom University, for contributions to the knowledge of Suriname’s fishes
Pimelodina Steindachner 1876 –ina (L. suffix), having the nature of: referring to close resemblance to and/or close relationship with Pimelodus
Pimelodina flavipinnis Steindachner 1876 flavus (L.), yellow; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to reddish-yellow fins
Pimelodus Lacepède 1803 –odus, from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: pīmelḗ (Gr. πῑμελή), fat, i.e., fatty, referring to their adipose fin (at the time, this was a catch-all genus for many New World catfishes, most of which possess a “fatty” or adipose fin) [many online references report that –odus is derived from odous, meaning teeth, but this is incorrect]
Pimelodus absconditus Azpelicueta 1995 Latin for hidden or concealed, referring to its misidentification as P. maculatus (due to presence of dots) and with species of Iheringichthys (due to its thick lips)
Pimelodus albicans (Valenciennes 1840) Latin for becoming white (i.e., whitish), referring to its local Spanish name in Buenos Aires, bagre blanc (white catfish)
Pimelodus albofasciatus Mees 1974 albus (L.), white; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to broad white longitudinal band from head to tail
Pimelodus altissimus Eigenmann & Pearson 1942 superlative of altus (L.), high (i.e., highest), referring to its very long and high adipose fin
Pimelodus argenteus Perugia 1891 Latin for silvery, referring to its “immaculate” (translation) silvery coloration
Pimelodus atrobrunneus Vidal & Lucena 1999 atro-, from ater (L.), black; brunneus, Medieval Latin for brown, referring to grey-brown to dark-brown uniform body coloration
Pimelodus blochii Valenciennes 1840 in honor of German physician-ichthyologist Marcus Elisier Bloch (1723–1799), who reported and illustrated this catfish as Silurus clarias in 1782
Pimelodus britskii Garavello & Shibatta 2007 in honor of Brazilian ichthyologist Heraldo A. Britski (b. 1934), Universidade de São Paulo, for his “significant” contributions to Neotropical ichthyology
Pimelodus coprophagus Schultz 1944 copro-, from kópros (Gr. κόπρος), excrement; phagus, from phageī́n (Gr. φαγεῖν), to eat, a “scavenger, eating any refuse that it can get”
Pimelodus crypticus Villa-Navarro & Cala 2017 Latin for hidden or secret, referring to its identity being “hidden” due to prior confusion with P. yuma
Pimelodus fur (Lütken 1874) Latin for thief, based on local Brazilian name Papa-isca, or bait-eater, because it eats the bait put out for other fishes
Pimelodus garciabarrigai Dahl 1961 in honor of botanist Hernando García-Barriga (1913–2005), Instituto de Ciencias Naturales (Colombia), a member of the expedition during which holotype was collected
Pimelodus grosskopfii Steindachner 1879 in honor of Th. Grosskopf (no other information available), who collected specimens in Colombia for the Berlin Museum, including holotype of this catfish
Pimelodus halisodous Ribeiro, Lucena & Lucinda 2008 hális (Gr. ἅλις), in abundance; odoús (Gr. ὀδούς), tooth, referring to several (~15) irregular rows of conical, slender teeth on each premaxilla
Pimelodus jivaro Eigenmann & Pearson 1942 named for the dominant indigenous tribe of the region, the “head-hunters,” or Jivaros, of the upper Amazon of Peru
Pimelodus joannis Ribeiro, Lucena & Lucinda 2008 –is, Latin genitive singular of: John G. Lundberg (b. 1942), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, for his many contributions to catfish systematics
Pimelodus luciae Rocha & Ribeiro 2010 in honor of Lúcia Rapp Py-Daniel, Curator of Fishes, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, for her many contributions to catfish systematics
Pimelodus maculatus Lacepède 1803 Latin for spotted, referring to its color pattern
Pimelodus microstoma Steindachner 1877 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, referring to it small mouth compared with most Amazonian congeners
Pimelodus multicratifer Ribeiro, Lucena & Oyakawa 2011 multi– (L.), many; cratis (L.), harrow (i.e., rake); –ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to 26–30 gill rakers on first branchial arch
Pimelodus mysteriosus Azpelicueta 1998 Latin for secret or mysterious, referring to its cryptic similarity to P. maculatus
Pimelodus navarroi Schultz 1944 in honor of Rafael Navarro, who acted as Schultz’ assistant in collecting many of the fishes he reported upon from the Maracaibo Basin of Venezuela
Pimelodus ornatus Kner 1858 Latin for adorned or decorated, a “beautifully colored” (translation) catfish featuring two black stripes along lateral line and a vertical stripe extending from front of dorsal fin to underside of belly
Pimelodus ortmanni Haseman 1911 in honor of Arnold E. Ortmann (1863–1927), Prussian-born American malacologist and curator of invertebrate zoology at the Carnegie Museum, for whom Haseman collected specimens
Pimelodus pantaneiro Souza-Filho & Shibatta 2007 inhabitant of the Pantanal region, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Pimelodus paranaensis Britski & Langeani 1988 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: upper rio Paraná basin, Brazil, where it is endemic
Pimelodus pictus Steindachner 1876 Latin for painted, referring to black spots on silver-gray body
Pimelodus pintado Azpelicueta, Lundberg & Loureiro 2008 local name for this fish along the Cebollatí River, Uruguay (type locality), from the Spanish pintado, spotted or with points, referring to densely spotted pigmentation pattern with many small dots irregularly placed over sides, head and fins
Pimelodus platicirris Borodin 1927 platýs (Gr. πλατύς), flat; cirris (L.), tuft of hair or fringe, referring to flattened (not round) maxillary barbels
Pimelodus pohli Ribeiro & Lucena 2006 in honor of Czech botanist-geologist-physician Johan B. Emanuel Pohl (1782–1834), participant in the Austrian Mission to Brazil (1817–1836) with Johann Natterer, who collected in several localities in the rio São Francisco drainage, where this catfish occurs
Pimelodus punctatus (Meek & Hildebrand 1913) Latin for spotted, referring to many small black spots on sides and top of head
Pimelodus quadratus Lucinda, Ribeiro & Lucena 2016 Latin for squared, referring to square patches of pigmentation along flanks of juveniles, which help to distinguish this species
Pimelodus speciosus Costa e Silva, Ribeiro, Lucena & Lucinda 2018 Latin for beautiful, referring to a unique color pattern consisting of variably shaped dark blotches irregularly distributed along flanks and coalescing horizontally and vertically, and background coloration light pink to light gray
Pimelodus stewarti Ribeiro, Lucena & Lucinda 2008 in honor of American ichthyologist Donald J. Stewart (b. 1946), then with the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, for his many contributions to catfish systematics
Pimelodus tetramerus Ribeiro & Lucena 2006 tetrá (Gr. τετρά), four; méros (Gr. μέρος), part or portion, referring to four dark bands on sides
Pimelodus yuma Villa-Navarro & Acero P. 2017 name given by indigenous people for the Magdalena River, Colombia, where this catfish occurs
Pinirampus Bleeker 1858 tautonymous with Pimelodus pirinampu (but Bleeker misspelled or Latinized the name, adding an “s”)
Pinirampus argentina (MacDonagh 1938) named for Argentina, where type locality (Río Paraná, Posadas, Terriotrio de Misiones) is situated [sometimes incorrectly spelled argentinus and argentinum]
Pinirampus pirinampu (Spix & Agassiz 1829) pirinampú, local name for this catfish in Brazil at time of description
Propimelodus Lundberg & Parisi 2002 pro-, before, suggesting the primitive condition of its trigeminofacial foramen relative to Pimelodus
Propimelodus araguayae Rocha, de Oliveira & Rapp Py-Daniel 2007 of the rio Araguaia (old spelling Araguaya), Mato Grosso, Brazil, only known area of occurrence
Propimelodus caesius Parisi, Lundberg & DoNascimiento 2006 Latin for blue gray, referring to its “attractive bluish life color”
Propimelodus eigenmanni (Van der Stigchel 1946) in honor of German-born American ichthyologist Carl H. Eigenmann (1863–1927), who, along with his wife Rosa, reported this species as a distinct form of Pimelodus (now Pimelodella) altipinnis (Heptapteridae) in 1888
Subfamily SORUBIMINAE Swainson 1838
Brachyplatystoma Bleeker 1862 brachýs (Gr. βραχύς), short, i.e., a short Platystoma, presumably referring to shorter, less-depressed mouth of B. vaillantii compared with other species then placed in Platystoma (=Sorubim)
Subgenus Brachyplatystoma
Brachyplatystoma juruense (Boulenger 1898) –ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Rio Juruá, Brazil, type locality
Brachyplatystoma platynemum Boulenger 1898 flat-threaded, from platýs (Gr. πλατύς), flat; nḗma (Gr. νῆμα), thread or yarn, referring to flattened, band-like maxillary and mental barbels
Brachyplatystoma tigrinum (Britski 1981) Latin for tiger-like, referring to diagonal stripes or bars on body
Brachyplatystoma vaillantii (Valenciennes 1840) in honor of François Levaillant (1753–1824), French explorer, naturalist and zoological collector, who brought the types to Europe
Subgenus Malacobagrus Bleeker 1862 malakós (Gr. μαλακός), soft, allusion not explained, possibly referring to flexible spines of B. filamentosum; Bagrus, Latinization of bagre, per Marcgrave (or Markgraf, Historia Naturalis Brasiliae, 1648), a Portuguese word for catfish in Brazil, presumably first applied to the marine ariid Bagre bagre (another explanation is from the Dutch bagger, mud, referring to benthic habits of many catfishes), possibly used here to reflect Bleeker’s classification of this taxon in a phalanx he called Ariobagri
Brachyplatystoma capapretum Lundberg & Akama 2005 from filhote de capa preta, Portuguese name for this catfish, i.e., “tiger catfish with black cloak or cape,” referring to the extremely dark dorsal coloration of adults
Brachyplatystoma filamentosum (Lichtenstein 1819) Latin for filamentous, referring to very long filamentous ray on upper lobe of caudal fin (in juveniles and sub-adults)
Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii (Castelnau 1855) in honor of French malacologist Louis Rousseau (note spelling, 1811–1874), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris), a “zealous traveler and skilled photographer” (translation); Rousseau was also a pioneer in zoological and anthropological photography
Hemisorubim Bleeker 1862 hemi-, from hḗmisys (Gr. ἥμισυς), half, i.e., similar to Sorubim (Bleeker placed both genera in his phalanx Sorubimes)
Hemisorubim platyrhynchos (Valenciennes 1840) platýs (Gr. πλατύς), flat; rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, referring to its strongly depressed head, said to resemble a duckbill
Hypophthalmus Cuvier 1829 hypó (Gr. ὑπό), under or beneath; ophthalmós (Gr. ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to low placement of eyes on head
Hypophthalmus celiae Littmann, Lundberg & Rocha 2021 in honor of Celia Bueno, Museum d’Histoire Naturelle de Neuchâtel (Switzerland), for providing “good humor” as well as photographic and radiographic images of the syntypes of H. edentatus, which revealed “key characteristics needed to correct the long-confused taxonomy of the genus”
Hypophthalmus donascimientoi Littmann, Lundberg & Rocha 2021 in honor of “good friend” and collaborator Carlos Luis DoNascimiento Montoya (b. 1973), Universidad de Carabobo (Colombia), for his many and continuing contributions to the discovery and knowledge of Neotropical siluriform fishes
Hypophthalmus edentatus Spix & Agassiz 1829 e– (L. prefix), without; dentatus (L.), toothed, i.e., toothless, referring to absence of teeth on jaws (but has many long gill rakers used to filter planktonic crustaceans)
Hypophthalmus fimbriatus Kner 1858 Latin for fringed, allusion not explained, possibly referring to prominent but easily torn membrane along enlarged and paired inner mental barbels
Hypophthalmus marginatus Valenciennes 1840 Latin for edged or bordered, referring to black tips or edges on caudal fin
Hypophthalmus oremaculatus Nani & Fuster 1947 oris (L.), mouth; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to two large black spots on palate that look like little teeth
Platynematichthys Bleeker 1858 platýs (Gr. πλατύς), flat, and nḗma (Gr. νῆμα), thread or yarn, referring to “tape-like, flat” barbels (translation); ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish
Platynematichthys notatus (Jardine 1841) Latin for marked, referring to black stripe on lower lobe of tail and/or black spots “thickly set” on upper half of body
Platysilurus Haseman 1911 platýs (Gr. πλατύς), flat or broad, presumably referring to shape of head; silurus, from sílouros (Gr. σίλουρος), a word of uncertain origin historically applied to catfishes
Platysilurus malarmo Schultz 1944 local name of this species “in the territory of the hostile Motilone Indians” of Venezuela, meaning bony-cheek, referring to ossified part of maxillary barbels
Platysilurus mucosus (Vaillant 1880) Latin for slimy, referring to large mucous pores on lower jaw
Platysilurus olallae (Orcés V. 1977) in honor of R. Olalla (either Ramón or his brother Rosalino, part of an animal-collecting family business led by their father Carlos), who collected type [although named after a man, “ae” is an acceptable way to form a genitive from a masculine noun that ends in “a”]
Platystomatichthys Bleeker 1862 Platystoma, referring to previous placement of P. sturio in that genus (now a synonym of Sorubim); ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish
Platystomatichthys sturio (Kner 1858) Latin for sturgeon, referring to sturgeon-like head and body shape
Pseudoplatystoma Bleeker 1862 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (Gr. ψεύδης), false; platystoma, presumably referring to similarity to and/or close relationships with Brachyplatystoma and Hemiplatystoma (=Pseudoplatystoma), all proposed and classified together by Bleeker in the same publication
Pseudoplatystoma corruscans (Spix & Agassiz 1829) apparent misspelling of coruscans (L.), flaming or flashing or glittering, probably referring to bright coloration, yellow-orange above and silver below
Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum (Linnaeus 1766) Latin for banded, referring to vertical black-and-white stripes on sides
Pseudoplatystoma magdaleniatum Buitrago-Suárez & Burr 2007 –atum (L.), belonging to: Magdalena River drainage, Colombia, where it is endemic
Pseudoplatystoma metaense Buitrago-Suárez & Burr 2007 –ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Meta River, a tributary of the Orinoco River in Colombia and Venezuela, type locality
Pseudoplatystoma orinocoense Buitrago-Suárez & Burr 2007 -ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Orinoco River, Venezuela and Colombia, where it is endemic
Pseudoplatystoma punctifer (Castelnau 1855) punctum (L.), spot; –ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, described as having four large, round and dark spots just below lateral line and others on the back
Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889 Latin for net-like or netted, referring to “coarse” reticulations on back and sides formed by narrow dark lines
Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum (Valenciennes 1840) Latin for tiger-like, referring to its “arrangement of colors, comparable with those of the royal tiger” (translation)
Sorubim Cuvier 1829 Latinization of Sorubi, local Brazilian name for shovelnose catfishes
Sorubim cuspicaudus Littmann, Burr & Nass 2000 cuspis (L.), a point or pointed end; caudus (L.), tail, referring to its pointed caudal-fin lobes
Sorubim elongatus Littmann, Burr, Schmidt & Isern 2001 Latin for prolonged, referring to the extremely elongated shape of its head and body
Sorubim lima (Bloch & Schneider 1801) Latin for file or rasp, referring to its ventrally exposed premaxillary tooth patch
Sorubim maniradii Littmann, Burr & Buitrago-Suarez 2001 mani-, from multus (L.), much or many; radii (L.), rayed (authors say rakers), referring to high number of gill rakers (on first branchial arch) relative to congeners
Sorubim trigonocephalus Miranda Ribeiro 1920 tri-headed, from trígōnos (Gr. τρίγωνος), triangular, and kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to its “subtriangular” head, “with lateral margins not parallel and not continuous to the lateral margins of the body, … somewhat similar to the head of a spear and resembling the head of a snake” (translation)
Sorubimichthys Bleeker 1862 Sorubim, referring to previous placement of S. jandia (=planiceps) in that genus; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish
Sorubimichthys planiceps (Spix & Agassiz 1829) planus (L.), flat or level; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its very flattened head
Zungaro Bleeker 1858 tautonymous with Pimelodus zungaro, from a local name applied to large pimelodids in the Amazon region of Peru
Zungaro jahu (Ihering 1898) presumably local name for this catfish along the Rio Paraná in São Paulo, Brazil
Zungaro zungaro (Humboldt 1821) local name applied to large pimelodids in the Amazon region of Peru, including this one
Zungaropsis Steindachner 1908 ópsis (Gr. ὄψις), appearance, presumably referring to its similarity to Zungaro [see note for species]
Zungaropsis multimaculatus Steindachner 1908 multi– (L.), many; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to numerous dark, round spots on head, sides and fins [almost certainly a synonym of Zungaro zungaro; included here until a formal synonymization is published]
Unnamed Clade A
Steindachneridion Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1919 –idion (Gr. -ἴδιον), diminutive suffix connoting endearment: in honor of Austrian ichthyologist Franz Steindachner (1834–1919), who recognized type species S. amblyurum as Platystoma parahybae in 1877 [replacement name for Steindachneria Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1888, preoccupied by Steindachneria Goode & Bean 1888 in Merlucciidae, which appeared three months earlier]
Steindachneridion amblyurum (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1888) blunt-tailed, from amblýs (Gr. ἀμβλύς), blunt, and urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to its “broadly rounded” caudal fin
Steindachneridion doceanum (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1889) –anum (L.), belonging to: Rio Doce, Brazil, type locality
Steindachneridion melanodermatum Garavello 2005 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; dermatum (L.) skinned, referring to dark-brown ground color of body, unique in the genus
Steindachneridion parahybae (Steindachner 1877) of the rio Paraíba do Sul basin, eastern Brazil, where it is endemic
Steindachneridion punctatum (Miranda Ribeiro 1918) Latin for spotted, referring to small black spots on body and fins
Steindachneridion scriptum (Miranda Ribeiro 1918) Latin for written, referring to black “scribbles” (translation, i.e., elongated or striated blotches) irregularly scattered on upper body
Unnamed Clade B
Leiarius Bleeker 1862 leios, smooth, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to smooth (vs. granulated) head surface of L. longibarbis; arius, possibly used here to reflect Bleeker’s classification of this taxon in a phalanx he called Ariobagri
Leiarius longibarbis (Castelnau 1855) longus (L.), long; barbis (scientific Neo-Latin), barbel, referring to maxillary barbels that almost reach the tail, and mental barbels that extend beyond the pectoral fins
Leiarius marmoratus (Gill 1870) Latin for marbled or mottled, referring to its grayish ground color, which “forms meandering lines between the large blackish spots by which it is covered”
Leiarius perruno (Schultz 1944) local name for this catfish in the Lake Maracaibo region of Venezuela
Leiarius pictus (Müller & Troschel 1849) Latin for painted, probably referring to spots on adults
Phractocephalus Agassiz 1829 phraktós (Gr. φρακτός); cephalus, from kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to well-developed dermal bones of skull and nape
Phractocephalus hemioliopterus (Bloch & Schneider 1801) hēmiólios (Gr. ἡμιόλιος), one and a half; pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to half-rayed adipose fin (“pinnae secundae parte superiore radiata”), thus, when including the rayed dorsal fin, giving the fish “one and a half” rayed fins on its back
Incertae sedis
Conorhynchos Bleeker 1858 conus, from kṓnos (Gr. κῶνος), cone; rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, like the specific name, referring to its elongate, conical snout [an evolutionarily divergent and relict catfish, Incertae sedis in Superfamily Pimelodoidea, provisionally placed in Pimelodidae pending further study]
Conorhynchos conirostris (Cuvier 1829) conus, from kṓnos (Gr. κῶνος), cone; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, like the generic name, referring to its elongate, conical snout [often incorrectly dated to Valenciennes 1840]