O nome comum da família, "Peixes-banjo" refere-se à cabeça achatada, depressiva, e ao seu fino penduncúlo caudal.
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thatque inem somealgumas speciesespécies giveslhe thedão appearanceesse of a [[banjo]]aspecto. Banjo catfishesBanjos lacknão anpossuem [[adiposenadadeira finadiposa]]. Most species lack the dorsal spine-locking mechanism. Though their bodies are scaleless, their skin is completely [[keratin]]ized and is covered by large, unculiferous [[tubercle]]s arranged in longitudinal rows; the entire outer layer of skin may be shed. Size ranges from less than 2.0 [[centimetre]]s (.79 [[inch|in]]) [[fish measurement|SL]] in ''[[Hoplomyzon papillatus]]'' to ''[[Aspredo aspredo]]'' at about 38 [[centimetre]]s (15;[[inch|in]]) [[fish measurement|SL]], though most are less than 15;cm. Most species exhibit [[cryptic coloration]]. Aspredinids have a loss of alarm cells and the fright reaction that is present in other [[Ostariophysi|ostariophysans]].
[[Sexual dimorphism]] is exhibited in most species in that mature females are typically larger than males; this is, however, reversed in ''[[Hoplomyzon sexpapilostoma]]''. Also, in ''Aspredo'' and ''Platystacus'' the dorsal fin spine is much longer in males than in females.
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They are benthic and sluggish unless disturbed, and many spend the day buried just beneath the surface of the substrate.<ref name="Friel1994"/> Like most fish, they are able to swim by undulating their bodies; however, they also propel themselves by pumping water through their gill openings to skip along the substrate. Some species are able to produce sounds by moving their [[pectoral fin]] spines back and forth when they are agitated.<ref name="Friel1994"/> Most aspredinids are generalized [[omnivore]]s that feed on aquatic and terrestrial [[invertebrate]]s and organic debris; however, members of ''Amaralia'' appear to specialize in feeding on the eggs of other catfishes.
AUma peculiaritypeculiaridade ofdos thebanjos catfishesda in the subfamilysubfamília Aspredininaeaspredininae is that after the female's eggs are fertilised by the male, she attaches them to her belly and carries them to shallow water to hatch.<ref name="Sands"/> In ''Pterobunocephalus'', the eggs are directly attached to the body, while in the other three genera of the subfamily, the eggs are attached to [[cotylephore]]s, which are fleshy stalks that develop seasonally on the underside of the body that may function in exchange of materials between the mother and her developing embryos.<ref name="Friel1994"/> It has been hypothesised that because these catfish live in muddy environments, this behaviour gives the eggs better access to oxygenated water.<ref name="pcotylephorus">{{FishBase species|genus=Platystacus|species=cotylephorus|year=2007|month=Aug}}</ref>
Accounts of reproduction in ''Bunocephalus'' vary; some sources state that they are egg-scatterers without any parental care, while others note them to build a depression for a nest and guard the eggs.<ref name="Friel1994"/>
