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Bony fish

Spotted catfish

Arius maculatus

Also known as: Giant Catfish, Marine Catfish, Sea Barbel, Sea Catfish, Spotted Sea Catfish

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Adult
@nihaamdzait · UNIMAS, Malaysia · January 20181 / 1
01

Overview

The spotted catfish is a schooling sea catfish whose males brood the eggs in their mouths, and it can live in marine, brackish and fresh water.

Schools keep around estuaries and in inshore waters. It lives in the Indo-West Pacific, including the coasts of Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Most fish seen are around 30cm, though it can reach 80cm. Food includes detritus, bristle worms, molluscs, crustaceans of many kinds and milkfish larvae.

Spawning varies along the Indian coast, with records from January to April off Mumbai and from September to October off Karnataka.

Handle any catfish of this kind with care. Some have venomous fin spines able to cause painful wounds, and repeated stings may result in death.

Notes & fun facts

  • DID YOU KNOWIts air bladder is used in the wine industry as isinglass.
  • DID YOU KNOWA male carrying eggs in his mouth may swallow a tiny share of them to stave off starvation.
02

How to identify

COLOURS
Head & Mouth
barbels
Behaviour
male carries eggsmouth brooderschooling

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Indo-West Pacific
  • Country only · 1
LIVES IN

Found in schools in marine, brackish and fresh water, around estuaries and in inshore waters.

RANGE
04

Adult photos 1

05

Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumChordata
    3. classTeleostei
    4. orderSiluriformes
    5. familyAriidae
    6. genusArius
    7. speciesArius maculatus (Thunberg, 1792)

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

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