Redtail catfish: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the redtail catfish lives – recorded in 4 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Phractocephalus hemioliopterus
Group	Bony fish
Found in	4 countries
Continents	North America, South America
Class	Ray-finned fish
Order	Siluriformes
Family	Pimelodidae

Where does the redtail catfish live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the redtail catfish in 4 countries and territories across North America and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Juruá. In United States it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the redtail catfish?

The redtail catfish (Phractocephalus hemioliopterus) is a ray-finned fish in the order Siluriformes and the family Pimelodidae, genus Phractocephalus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the redtail catfish

The redtail catfish (Phractocephalus hemioliopterus) is a large species of South American pimelodid (long-whiskered) catfish. It is known in Venezuelan Spanish as cajaro; in Guyana, it is known as a banana catfish, and in Brazil it is known as pirarara, a fusion of words from the indigenous Tupi language: pirá and arara. It is the only extant species of its genus, Phractocephalus.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Redtail catfish (revision 1380583596), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q1854173 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).