Brachyplatystoma is a
genus of
catfish from the family
Pimelodidae. As the occasionally used common name
goliath catfishes indicates, this genus includes some of the largest species of catfish, including the
Piraíba,
B. filamentosum, which reaches up to the region of in length.
Brachyplatystoma are found in the
Amazon and
Orinoco basins, and other tropical freshwater and
brackish habitats in
South America. Some species are
migratory. These fish are important as
food fish and, to some extent,
aquarium fish.
