Catfish, Firewood

The Firewood Catfish is a member of the pimelodidae family of catfishes from South America. The highly predatory Firewood Catfish gets its distinctive name from locals in its native environment where it has little eating value and is regularity dried and used for firewood.  Firewood Catfish occur in both the Orinoco and Amazon basins in South America where they favour fast white water conditions.
This most distinctive of Amazon Catfish species is easily recognisable with a dark grey back displaying darker mottled / spotted coloration with a white band down its entire lateral section giving way to darker grey or brown band on its abdomen.
The Firewood Catfish has a streamlined body with a long elongated shovel-like snout as is common in various catfish species from the Amazon regions.
The streamlined Firewood Catfish attains a maximum length of 1.5 metres and is equipped with several sensory barbels which it uses to actively seek out prey fish.
Although not one of the biggest Amazon sorubim related Catfish species, the Firewood Catfish is yet another example of Amazon species now thriving in the commercial fisheries of Thailand with recent stockings in palm tree lagoon and several other venues.