barred shovelnose catfish

Like its congeners, P. fasciatum has a long, flat head, with a triangular profile. The lower jaw is short, the rostrum flattened. The anterior edge of the mouth is covered with thick skin. All fins are brownish to golden, a color close to that of the flanks above the lateral line. They are also speckled with black.

In adults, the abdomen is white. The entire body is covered with stripes, vertical bars, and imperfect black spots. The flanks are also characterized by the presence of shorter vertical white bars than black ones.

The maxillary barbels are very long and extend beyond the pelvic fins.

Subspecies are sometimes mentioned, their statuses seem to be validated:

- P. fasciatum brevifile

- P. fasciatum nigricans

- P. fasciatum intermedium

A form from Villa Tunari, in the Andes, is presented as P. fasciatum although its pattern is covered with oval or round tricolored spots, which probably corresponds to another species.

P. fasciatum is distinguished from its close congener P. orinocoense by its less long and less regular vertical bars. In P. trigrinum, the vertical white bars are absent and the black bars are distinctly more sinuous.

The barred shovelnose catfish hunts by ambush and is part of the predators in its biotope. It frequents riverbeds and sometimes flooded forest areas. It seems to appreciate dark areas provided with vegetal shelters (tree trunks, aquatic plants).

Up to 40 centimeters, it hunts various food sources and then becomes exclusively piscivorous. It particularly preys on armored catfish, cichlids, and characids. Most of its activity takes place at dusk and dawn. It is less nocturnal than its congener P. tigrinum.

It was once considered a migratory fish as it followed its prey, which were themselves migratory. Some individuals move opportunistically during the year. Different individuals seem to tolerate each other.

The barred shovelnose catfish is a fish whose reproductive mode is poorly known. The female reaches sexual maturity at an average of 56 centimeters, the male at 45 centimeters. The estimated fecundity is significant, with several million eggs per kilogram.

Reproduction takes place from late November to early January, when the waters are warmest. Eggs are laid in flooded areas without additional care or parental guard.