Everything about The Ariidae totally explained
The
Ariidae or
ariid catfish are
catfish that mainly live in
marine waters with many
freshwater and
brackish water species. They are found worldwide in tropical to warm temperate zones.
Ariid catfish have sometimes been called
crucifix catfish thanks to a rather peculiar skull morphology that, with a bit of imagination, can be seen to resemble a crucifixion scene.
Taxonomy
The relationships of this family are not yet clear. By some some sources,
Doiichthys has previously been classified in its own family, Doiichthyidae. Two of the
genera,
Gogo and
Ancharius, have been moved to a separate family called
Anchariidae. Ariidae is divided into two subfamilies:
Galeichthys is the only genus classified in the subfamily Galeichthyinae, while the rest of the genera are classified in the subfamily Ariinae.
Previously, Ariidae has been grouped in the superfamily Doradoidea, but then it was moved into Bagroidea (along with
Austroglanididae,
Claroteidae,
Schilbeidae,
Pangasiidae,
Bagridae, and
Pimelodidae.
Distribution and habitat
Ariids are found worldwide in tropical to warm temperate zones.
Ecology
Beyond their maritime habitat, ariid catfish have a number of unique adaptations that set them apart from other catfish. Most, if not all species, are
mouthbrooding fish, with the male carrying a small clutch of a few dozen, golf-ball sized eggs for about two months until they eggs hatch and the fry become free-swimming.
Relationship to humans
One well known ariid catfish is the
hardhead sea catfish,
Ariopsis felis, abundant along the Western Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Mexico. Although hardhead catfish reach a weight of about 5.5 kg and are good eating, they've a mixed reputation as
game fish and are often considered nuisance bait stealers.
A less abundant species, more highly regarded as a game and food fish, is the
Gafftopsail catfish,
Bagre marinus. The range of the gafftop extends further south, to Venezuela.
The smaller ariid catfish have minor value as public and home
aquarium fish. In 1972, the
Shedd Aquarium in
Chicago received worldwide acclaim for the first successful breeding of
Ariopsis felis in captivity, a feat they've repeated several times since. The
Colombian shark catfish Sciades seemanni (until recently
Hexanematichthys seemanni) is a fairly popular aquarium fish, though it has been traded under a variety of spurious names, such as
Arius jordani and
Arius seemani. Less commonly traded aquarium species include
Arius berneyi and
Arius graeffei.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ariidae'.
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