Smoothmouth sea catfish (Carlarius heudelotii)

Scientific name: Carlarius heudelotii Valenciennes, 1840

Smoothmouth sea catfish (Carlarius heudelotii)

The Smoothmouth sea catfish (Carlarius heudelotii) is a brackish-water fish of the family Ariidae.

Biology

Enters brackish waters; found along the shallow continental shelf. Feeds on benthic invertebrates buried in the mud but it can sometimes leave the bottom to capture prey in open water. The females bear large eggs which are incubated and develop in the buccal cavity of the males. The rays of the fins are venomous and the wound inflicted is extremely painful. Minimum depth from.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Carlarius heudelotii
Family
Ariidae (Sea catfishes)
Order
Siluriformes (Catfish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
83.0
Common length
35.0
Depth range
15–75 m (49–246 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 15 - 75 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Eastern Atlantic: Cape Blanc, Mauritania to Gabon and possibly Angola along the shallow continental shelf. Reported from the lower Niger basin, the Benou? River, and the Gambia.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Venomous
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.14-0.15)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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