Ariopsis felis
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Siluriformes (Catfishes)
Ariidae (Sea Catfishes)
Ariopsis
Ariopsis felis (Hardhead Catfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (Carpenter, K.E. (ed.) 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. FAO, Rome.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
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Synonymy
Arius felis (Linnaeus, 1766); Hexanematichthys felis (Linnaeus,
1766); Galeichthys milberti (Valenciennes, 1840) / None.
Characters
Head rounded, only slightly
flattened above; exposed head shield well visible, very
rugose, extending anteriorly to opposite eyes, its
supraoccipital process broad at base, narrower
and truncated posteriorly, with a slight median
keel; predorsal plate crescent-shaped and rugose;
a long narrow fleshy groove in median depression
of head extending forward to eyes. Snout moder-
ately long and rounded transversely. Mouth inferior.
Teeth on palate villi form or granular, in 2 pairs of
patches, the sm all anterior patches contiguous with
the outer large, round to elliptical posterior ones; dorsal view of head
patches of anterior pair narrowly separated from one
a nother. Three pairs of barbels (1 maxillary and 2 men-
tal) around mouth, the maxillary barbels just reaching to pectoral fins. A few tiny gill rakers on rear surfaces
of first 2 arches, chiefly confined to the upper limb; total number of anterior gill rakers on first arch 13
to 16; anterior gill rakers on second arch 13 to 17. Dorsal fin with a strong, serrated, erectile spine. A
well-developed adipose fin present. Pectoral fins with a strong, serrated, erectile spine; soft rays in pectoral
fins usu ally 10. Number of vertebrae free from Weberian complex 46 to 48. Colour: brown to dark brown or
dark blue above, shading to whitish below.
Body shape: elongated. This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following characters: gill rakers on the first and second gill arches 29-32; osseous medial groove present; fleshy medial groove of neurocranium conspicuous and long, always surpassing the posterior margin of eyes; lateral margin of sphenotic notched, narrower medially than anteriorly; pterotic lateral margin smoothly convex; lateral margin of sphenotic notched, narrower medially than anteriorly; mouth 9.1-11.5% SL; close anterior nostrils 4.6-6.4% SL, close posterior nostrils 4.2-7.1% SL; mesethmoid median portion narrow, mesethmoid medial notch narrow and deep; gill rakers on the first gill arch 13–15, rarely 16; external posterior branch of lateral ethmoid columnar and thin; fenestra delimited by mesethmoid and lateral ethmoid conspicuous (Ref. 116660).
Distribution
Atlantic coast from North Carolina
to Florida, and Gulf of Mexico to Yucatán.
Arius gr andicassis Valenciennes, 1840
Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Arius parmocassis Valenciennes, 1840; Arius stricticassis Valen-
ciennes, 1840; Notarius gr andicassis (Valenciennes, 1840); Notarius parmocassis (Valenciennes, 1840);
Notarius stricticassis (Valenciennes, 1840); Arius v andeli Puyo, 1936 / None.
FAO names: En - Thomas sea catfish; Fr - Mâchoiron grondé; Sp - Bagre Tomás.
premaxillary and palatine
tooth patches
Diagnostic characters: Head rounded with a flat up-
per surface; exposed head shield well visible, only
moderately rugose and extending forward approxi-
mately to eyes, its supraoccipital process long and
narrow at base, its sides ei ther par allel or vari-
ously exp anded and rounded later ally, becoming
shield-like, but proximal base usu ally remains
narrow; predorsal plate a short crescent. Snout
very prominent and rounded transversely. Mouth infe-
rior. Teeth on palate villi form in 2 patches on each dorsal view of head
side, the medial anterior pair sm all or absent, the
outer posterior pair large, long, subtriangular, and
widely separated. Three pairs of barbels (1 maxillary and 2 mental) around mouth, the maxillary barbels
reaching to pectoral fins. No gill rakers on rear surfaces of first 2 arches; total number of anterior gill rakers on
first arch 13 to 17. Dorsal fin with a strong, serrated, erectile spine. A well-developed adipose fin present. Pec-
toral fins with a strong, serrated, erectile spine; soft rays in pectoral fins 11 or 12. Colour: mostly greyish brown
or yellowish brown above, lighter below.
Size: Maximum 63 cm; common to 40 cm.
Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Found in
sh allow coastal waters, to at least 35 m of
depth, as well as in turbid estuarine areas.
Separate statistics are not reported for this
species; caught mainly with seines, and on
hook-and-line, also taken as bycatch in the
industrial trawl fishery for shrimps; marketed
mostly fresh.
Distri bution: Nor theastern coast of South
America from the Guajira Peninsula (Colom-
bia) to Brazil.
Habitat Associations
Found in turbid
waters over muddy bottoms, chiefly along the
coast and in river estuaries; prefers brackish and
marine waters, only occasion ally entering fresh
waters. Feeds mainly on benthic crustaceans;
spawning occurs from May to early August in the
nor thern Gulf of Mexico. Separate statistics are
not reported for this species; caught mainly with
bottom trawls, seines, and on hook-and-line; con-
sumed fresh occasion ally, but not highly appreci-
ated.
Biology
Maximum about 70 cm; common to 25 cm.
Adults inhabit continental waters and enter estuaries. Found in turbid waters over muddy bottoms. Males incubate eggs in the mouth (Ref. 205). Commonly captured from catwalks, bridges and piers, particularly in passes and inland waterways. Edible, but generally not consumed (Ref. 7251).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; bearers (external brooders); parental care: paternal. Males carry the eggs in the mouth (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2014-01-07. Resilience: Low (Fec=55).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish.
References
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Yáñez-Arancibia, A. and A. Lara-Dominguez (1988) Ecology of three sea catfishes (Ariidae) in a tropical coastal ecosystem-southern Gulf of Mexico. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 49:215-230.
IGFA (2001) Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
Marceniuk, A.P., A.P. Acero, R. Cooke and R. Betancur-R (2017) Taxonomic revision of the new world genus Ariopsis Gill (Siluriformes: Ariidae), with description of two new species. Zootaxa 4290(1):1-42.
Comments On Ariopsis felis