Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Spotted sea catfish

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Family
  
Ariidae

Phylum
  
Chordata

Order
  
Catfish

Class
  
Actinopterygii

Species
  
A. maculatus

Genus
  
Arius

Similar
  
Arius, Catfish, Arius maculatus, Ariidae

The spotted sea catfish (Arius maculatus), also known as the spotted catfish, the sea barbel or the marine catfish, is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1792, originally under the genus Silurus. It inhabits tropical marine, brackish and freshwater in the Indo-western Pacific region, including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. It dwells at a depth range of 50 to 100 m (160 to 330 ft). It reaches a maximum total length of 80 cm (31 in), more commonly reaching a TL of 30 cm (12 in).

The diet of the spotted sea catfish includes detritus, polychaete worms, mollusks, various crustaceans, and the larvae the milkfish. It has been recorded spawning between the months of January-April on the coast of Mumbai, India, and in the months of September-October on the coast of Karnataka. The eggs are incubated in the mouths of the males, which are known to consume a minute quantity of the eggs to combat starvation during the period of incubation.

The spotted sea catfish is of commercial interest to fisheries. It is primarily marketed fresh, and the air bladders are used in the wine industry as isinglass.

References

Spotted sea catfish Wikipedia


Similar TopicsAriidae
Arius
Catfish