Taxonomy & naming
Pseudopimelodus bufonius (Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1840) is the valid name in the Catalog of Fishes. The type locality is given as Cayenne, French Guiana, with a note that it is probably Paramaribo, Suriname. It belongs to the Pseudopimelodidae. The epithet derives from Latin bufo, 'toad'.
Morphology
It has a stout, broad-headed, toad-like body, a wide mouth, small eyes and short barbels, with a mottled pattern. Pseudopimelodids lack the long barbels of true pimelodids. FishBase gives a maximum of 9.5 in SL.
Habitat
FishBase gives its range as rivers of north-eastern South America from Lake Maracaibo to eastern Brazil, and notes that the range will change as the taxonomy is clarified. It is a freshwater, bottom-living tropical fish.
Feeding
Pseudopimelodids are mostly nocturnal predators that ambush fish and invertebrates, taking prey that fits in the large mouth. In captivity they accept fish, shrimp and meaty frozen foods.
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.
In the aquarium
Keep it in a roomy tank with caves and a soft bottom, and with tankmates too large to swallow; small fish will be eaten. FishBase gives no temperature, pH or hardness range 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 has not been described.