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| NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |
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Common Name: redtail catfish
Synonyms and Other Names: (pirarara, cajaro, guacamayo, bigorilo, pez torre, laitu, parabepre).
Taxonomy: available through 
Identification:
A somewhat dated key to pimelodid genera was presented by Schultz (1944). A few distinguishing characteristics and photographs were given by Goulding (1980), Burgess (1989), and Barthem and Goulding (1997). Color photographs, including one of a small juvenile, appeared in Ferraris (1991). The color pattern is quite distinct and photographs of this species are common in aquarium literature. Many references to Phractocephalus hemioliopterus give incorrect spellings of the scientific name (e.g., P. hemiliopterus).
The redtail catfish is distinctively-colored, with a dark grey to black background color, a wide white stripe that extends along the midline (from the mouth to caudal fin) and a red or orange caudal fin. The dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins are also sometimes red or orange. It can grow to 1.3 m and 80 kg. The species is often called the pirarara catfish, especially in literature from South America.
Size: 130 cm and 80 kg.
Native Range: Tropical America. Widespread in Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America (Barthem and Goulding 1997).
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Interactive maps: Continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, Caribbean
Nonindigenous Occurrences: A specimen was found dead at a marina in Panama City in 2007. There is also a record from an unspecified locality in Florida (Courtenay et al. 1991); the date of the record is presumably some time between 1979 and 1991. The redtail catfish has also been collected near Lincoln, Nebraska (Rasmussen 1998). One specimen was collected from the Missouri River, near Columbia Missouri in 2000. An angler collected a specimen in Clear Creek (a tributary of Galveston Bay), Texas in 2004 (R. Howells, pers. comm.).
Ecology:
The redtail catfish is native to the rivers of Amazonia, where it uses its well-developed chemosensory and tactile abilities to sense prey. The diet consists primarily of other fishes (primarily characins and catfishes) but also may include fruits, seeds, and crustaceans, especially in seasonally-flooded forests. It is a habitat generalist, using large rivers, sloughs, streams, lagoons, and estuaries. It is a slow-moving, bottom-dwelling fish that is thought to attack prey by probing and ambush. The species is an important component of the Amazonian fishery. From Goulding (1980), Barthem and Goulding (1997) and Barbarino Duque and Winemiller (2003).
Means of Introduction: Probable aquarium release.
Status: Reported from Florida, Nebraska, Missouri and Texas.
Impact of Introduction: Unknown.
Remarks: This large predacious catfish is somwhat common in the ornamental fish trade. There are no known voucher specimens.
Barbarino Duque, A. and K. O. Winemiller. 2003. Dietary segregation among large catfishes of the Apure and Arauca Rivers, Venezuela. Journal of Fish Biology 63: 410-427.
Barthem, R. and M. Goulding. 1997. The Catfish Connection: Ecology, Migration, and Conservation of Amazon Predators. Columbia University Press, New York.
Burgess, W. E. 1989. An atlas of freshwater and marine catfishes: a preliminary survey of the Siluriformes. Tropical Fish Hobbyist Publications, Inc., Neptune City, NJ.
Courtenay, W. R., Jr., D. P. Jennings, and J. D. Williams. 1991. Appendix 2: exotic fishes. Pages 97-107 in Robins, C. R., R. M. Bailey, C. E. Bond, J. R. Brooker, E. A. Lachner, R. N. Lea, and W. B. Scott. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada, 5th edition. American Fisheries Society Special Publication 20. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD.
Ferraris, C. J., Jr. 1991. Catfish in the aquarium. Tetra Press, Morris Plains, NJ.
Goulding, M. 1980. Fishes of the Forest: Explorations in Amazonian Natural History. University of California Press, Los Angeles, CA.
Rasmussen, J.L. 1998. Aquatic nuisance species of the
Schultz, L. P. 1944. The catfishes of Venezuela, with descriptions of thirty-eight new forms. Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum 94(3172):173-338.
Other Resources:
FishBase Fact Sheet
Author: Pamela J. Schofield and Leo Nico
Revision Date: 4/23/2005 Citation for this information:
Pamela J. Schofield and Leo Nico. 2010. Phractocephalus hemioliopterus. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=838> Revision Date: 4/23/2005
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