genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...
es (
order
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...
Siluriformes) of the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Ariidae
The Ariidae or ariid catfish are a family of catfish that mainly live in marine waters with many freshwater and brackish water species. They are found worldwide in tropical to warm temperate zones. The family includes about 143 species.
Taxonom ...
. The genus ''Arius'' is distributed in
brackish
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...
and
fresh water
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does incl ...
s of
Eastern Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
and south to
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
.
Defining the limits so that ''Arius'' can form a natural grouping has always been a problem. The genus was never properly defined, and many species previously classified in ''Arius'' are now in other genera. Recent authors have recognized this genus as non monophyetic, rejecting that the genus is a natural grouping. Two unnamed groups are distinguished by accessory tooth plates, which are either very elongated and bearing molar-like teeth, or are oval shaped or subtriangular and bearing acicular (needle-like) or conic teeth. ''A. jatius'' lacks these tooth plates, but has been included in this genus based on its
adipose fin
Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as s ...
and lateral line. The recognition of ''Arenarius'' as a junior synonym of ''Arius'' is tentative and needs to be further investigated.
''Arius'' species have three pairs of
barbels
In fish anatomy and turtle anatomy, a barbel is a slender, whiskerlike sensory organ near the mouth. Fish that have barbels include the catfish, the carp, the goatfish, the hagfish, the sturgeon, the zebrafish, the black dragonfish and s ...
, including the fleshy and cylindrical maxillary barbels and two pairs of mental barbels. The base of the
adipose fin
Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as s ...
is moderately long, about half the length of the base of the
anal fin
Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as s ...
Arius arius
The threadfin sea catfish (''Arius arius''), also called the Hamilton's catfish, marine catfish or jella, is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton in 1822, originally under the genus '' Pime ...
Arius cous
''Arius cous'' is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Josef Hyrtl
Josef Hyrtl (7 December 1810 – 17 July 1894) was an Austrian anatomist. Biography
Hyrtl was born at Kismarton, Hungary (now Eisenstadt, ...
Arius dispar
The fleshysnout catfish (''Arius dispar'') is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Albert William Herre in 1926, originally under the genus ''Tachysurus''. It is known from tropical brackish and freshwater in Asi ...
Arius festinus
''Arius festinus'' is a species of fish in the family Ariidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.
References
festinus
Freshwater fish of Madagascar
Taxonomy articles creat ...
Arius gagora
The Gagora catfish (''Arius gagora'') is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton in 1822, originally under the genus '' Pimelodus''.Hamilton, F., 1822 ef. 2031An account of the fishes found i ...
Arius gigas
The giant sea catfish (''Arius gigas''), also called the ewe or the marine catfish, is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by George Albert Boulenger in 1911, originally under the genus ''Tachysurus''.Boulenger, G. A. ...
Arius jella
''Arius jella'', the blackfin sea catfish, is a species of ocean catfish in the Siluriformes order.
It is native to the Indian Ocean, including in the seas off India.
References
jella
Catfish of Asia
Fish of the Indian Ocean
Fish o ...
Arius macracanthus
''Arius macracanthus'' is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Albert Günther in 1864.Günther, A., 1864 (10 Dec.) ef. 1974''Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum. Catalogue of the Physostomi, containing ...
Arius maculatus
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 ...
Arius madagascariensis
The Madagascar sea catfish (''Arius madagascariensis'') is a species of fish in the family Ariidae. It is found in Madagascar, Mozambique, and Tanzania. Its natural habitats are rivers, freshwater lakes, shallow seas, and estuarine
An e ...
Arius malabaricus
''Arius malabaricus'' is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Francis Day in 1877.Day, F. 1877 (Aug.) ef. 4886''The fishes of India; being a natural history of the fishes known to inhabit the seas and fresh waters ...
Arius manillensis
''Arius manillensis'' is a species of marine catfish endemic to the island of Luzon, Philippines. It is commonly known as the Manila sea catfish or kanduli. It is fished commercially.
Taxonomy and nomenclature
''Arius manillensis'' was first des ...
''
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...
, 1840 (Manila sea catfish)
* ''
Arius microcephalus
The squirrelheaded catfish (''Arius microcephalus'') is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Pieter Bleeker in 1855.Bleeker, P. 1855 (Nov.) ef. 16849''Negende bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van Bo ...
Arius nudidens
''Arius nudidens'' is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Max Carl Wilhelm Weber in 1913.Weber, M., 1913 ef. 4603''Süsswasserfische aus Niederländisch Süd- und Nord-Neu-Guinea.'' In: Nova Guinea. Résultats ...
Arius oetik
''Arius oetik'' is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Pieter Bleeker in 1846. It is known from tropical marine and brackish waters in the western Pacific. It reaches a maximum total length of . Its diet consi ...
Arius subrostratus
Arius (; grc-koi, Ἄρειος, ; 250 or 256 – 336) was a Cyrenaic presbyter, ascetic, and priest best known for the doctrine of Arianism. His teachings about the nature of the Godhead in Christianity, which emphasized God the Father's un ...
''
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...
, 1840 (shovelnose sea catfish)
* '' Arius sumatranus'' (Anonymous, referred to E. T. Bennett, 1830) (goat catfish)
* ''
Arius uncinatus
''Arius uncinatus'' is a species of fish in the family Ariidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater lakes. It is threatened by habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat r ...
Arius venosus
The veined catfish (''Arius venosus''), also known as the marine catfish, is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae. It was described by Achille Valenciennes in 1840. It inhabits tropical marine and brackish waters in the Indo-western Pa ...
''
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...
, 1840 (veined catfish)
In addition, a fairly extensive
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
record exists, encompassing several species, but mainly represented by
otolith
An otolith ( grc-gre, ὠτο-, ' ear + , ', a stone), also called statoconium or otoconium or statolith, is a calcium carbonate structure in the saccule or utricle of the inner ear, specifically in the vestibular system of vertebrates. The s ...