Pimelodus is a genus of long-whiskered catfish in the family Pimelodidae, distributed widely across South American river systems in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, French Guiana, Guyana and Paraguay. The atlas covers 3 species, growing to a moderate 14–15.5 in, with the smooth, scaleless body and three pairs of long barbels typical of the family, used to feel out food on and near the riverbed in often turbid water. Like most pimelodids, Pimelodus species are active, nocturnal-leaning omnivores that take a broad diet of invertebrates, small fish and organic matter.
This is one of the more aquarium-recognisable catfish genera thanks to Pimelodus pictus, the pictus catfish, whose bold black spotting on a silvery body has made it a long-standing staple of the ornamental fish trade. Pimelodus blochii (four-line pictus) and Pimelodus ornatus (ornate pimelodus) are less commonly traded but share the same active, shoaling, whisker-forward character. All three species in the genus are currently listed as Least Concern or not evaluated by the IUCN, and none carry a CARES designation. In the aquarium, Pimelodus catfish do best in groups in a reasonably large tank with sand or fine gravel and subdued lighting, and their barbels are sensitive to abrasive substrates.