''Bunocephalus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of banjo catfishes from

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. It is found in Magdalena,

Orinoco The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers approximately 1 million km2, with 65% of it in Venezuela and 35% in Colombia. It is the List of rivers by discharge, f ...

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

- Paraná, and

São Francisco River The São Francisco River (, ) is a large Rivers of Brazil, river in Brazil. With a length of , it is the longest river that runs entirely in Brazilian territory, and the fourth longest in South America and overall in Brazil (after the Amazon R ...

s. It is also the only aspredinid genus found west of the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

, found in the Atrato, San Juan, and Patía Rivers. This genus is a part of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Aspredinidae The Aspredinidae are a small South American family (biology), family of catfishes (order (biology), order Siluriformes) also known as the banjo catfishes, with about 43 species. Distribution Aspredinids are found throughout the major tropical ri ...

, known as banjo catfishes for their large, flattened heads and slender tails that give the appearance of a

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

. Most species exhibit cryptic coloration, and the same holds true among ''Bunocephalus'' species. The skin is completely

keratin Keratin () is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as ''scleroproteins''. It is the key structural material making up Scale (anatomy), scales, hair, Nail (anatomy), nails, feathers, horn (anatomy), horns, claws, Hoof, hoove ...

ized and is covered by large, unculiferous tubercles. ''Bunocephalus'' species may reach up to 13 centimetres SL.

Species

There are currently 12 recognized species in this genus: * '' Bunocephalus aleuropsis''

Cope A cope ( ("rain coat") or ("cape")) is a liturgical long mantle or cloak, open at the front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour. A cope may be worn by any rank of the Catholic or Anglican clerg ...

, 1870 * '' Bunocephalus amaurus'' C. H. Eigenmann, 1912 (Camouflaged catfish) * '' Bunocephalus chamaizelus'' C. H. Eigenmann, 1912 * '' Bunocephalus colombianus'' C. H. Eigenmann, 1912 * '' Bunocephalus coracoideus'' (

, 1874) (Guitarrita) * '' Bunocephalus doriae'' Boulenger, 1902 * '' Bunocephalus erondinae'' A. R. Cardoso, 2010 * '' Bunocephalus hartti'' T. P. Carvalho, A. R. Cardoso, Friel & R. E. dos Reis, 2015 Carvalho, T.P., Cardoso, A.R., Friel, J.P. & Reis, R.E. (2015): Two new species of the banjo catfish ''Bunocephalus'' Kner (Siluriformes: Aspredinidae) from the upper and middle rio São Francisco basins, Brazil. ''Neotropical Ichthyology, 13 (3): 499–512.'' * '' Bunocephalus knerii'' Steindachner, 1882 (Ecuador banjo catfish) * '' Bunocephalus larai'' R. Ihering ( pt), 1930 * '' Bunocephalus minerim'' T. P. Carvalho, A. R. Cardoso, Friel & R. E. dos Reis, 2015 * '' Bunocephalus verrucosus'' ( Walbaum, 1792) (Gnarled catfish) The removal of ''Pseudobunocephalus'' from ''Bunocephalus'' was an attempt to make it monophyletic. Even in this reduced state, ''Bunocephalus'' is still the largest genus in the Aspredinidae.

In the aquarium

''B. coracoideus'' is the most common species of banjo catfish found in the

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

fishkeeping

hobby A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other ...

. These fish are nocturnal. This species is peaceful and a good idea for a community aquarium. These fish may be kept with sand to allow them to bury themselves or with a flat rock to hide underneath. Reproduction has been accomplished in the home aquarium. These fish can be easily sexed because females are much fatter and fuller than males. The mating pair should be conditioned on live foods for at least a month. Spawning is induced by a larger water change; the pair will spawn within two days. Spawning occurs at night. Some sources say they spawn under a fallen leaf or on a large rock, incubating their eggs by sitting on them, while others list them as egg-scatterers.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2718074 Aspredinidae Fish of the Amazon basin Catfish genera Taxa named by Rudolf Kner