Taxonomy & naming
Pimelodus albofasciatus Mees, 1974 is the valid name in the Catalog of Fishes. It sits in the Pimelodidae, the long-whiskered catfishes, and was described from Sipaliwini, Suriname. The epithet is formed from Latin albus (white) and fasciatus (banded), naming the pale banding pattern.
Morphology
As a Pimelodus, it has a smooth scaleless body, three pairs of long barbels, a large adipose fin and a stout spine at the front of the dorsal and pectoral fins. FishBase gives a maximum of 11.5 in SL. Its colour pattern has not been described in the sources available to the atlas.
Habitat
FishBase describes it as a freshwater, benthopelagic, tropical fish of the Amazon, Orinoco, upper Corantijn and Sipaliwini River basins in northern South America, and lists a temperature range of 72–77 °F. The type locality is Sipaliwini, Suriname. River size, flow and substrate have not been described.
Feeding
Diet is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas. Pimelodus species are generally nocturnal omnivores that take insects, crustaceans, small fish and plant material, and they accept sinking pellets and frozen foods in aquaria.
Mating
Mating behaviour is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas.
Breeding
Captive breeding of this species is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas. Pimelodids are rarely bred in home aquaria.
In the aquarium
Treat it as a mid-sized, active, nocturnal long-whiskered catfish: a large tank with open swimming space and caves, and tankmates too big to be eaten. FishBase lists 72–77 °F; no pH or hardness range is given for this species.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List assessed it as Least Concern in 2020, meaning it is not considered at risk of extinction at present. The effect of collecting on wild populations has not been described.