Bagre marinus
Gafftopsail Catfish
NS
G5
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Siluriformes (Catfishes)
Ariidae (Sea Catfishes)
Bagre
Bagre marinus (Gafftopsail Catfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Moderately slender, arched head, slightly inferior mouth, two pairs of barbels; snout moderate length, transversely rounded; maxillary barbels extend to pelvic fin base, flattened and ribbonlike; bony head shield obscure; supraoccipital process relatively narrow, tapers rearward; teeth villiform, in bands; pectoral fin rays 11-14; anal fin rays 22-28; dorsal and pectoral fins with strong, serrated spines
Bluish gray to dark brown dorsally, lighter ventrally
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Cape Cod to Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea
Habitat Associations
Brackish to marine coastal waters, occasionally freshwater in tropics
Biology
Invertebrates and small fishes
Maximum known size 1,000 mm TL
Spawning occurs May-August in northern Gulf of Mexico; males brood fertilized eggs
Mainly marine but enters brackish estuaries with relatively high salinities (Ref. 5217). Opportunistic feeders over mud and sandy bottoms (Ref. 27549). Feeds mainly on small fishes and invertebrates. The dorsal and pectoral fins are equipped with a serrated erectile spine, both of which are venomous. Commonly caught by anglers along bridges, piers and catwalks. Flesh considered good; marketed fresh (Ref. 5217). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 57178.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2014-01-07. Resilience: Low (Fec = 70).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other family members by combination of characters
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish.
References
Gunter 1945
Hoese and Moore 1977
Jones et al. 1978a
Taylor 1978
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
Boschung 1992
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Cervigón, F., R. Cipriani, W. Fischer, L. Garibaldi, M. Hendrickx, A.J. Lemus, R. Márquez, J.M. Poutiers, G. Robaina and B. Rodriguez (1992) Fichas FAO de identificación de especies para los fines de la pesca. Guía de campo de las especies comerciales marinas y de aquas salobres de la costa septentrional de Sur América. FAO, Rome. 513 p. Preparado con el financiamento de la Comisión de Comunidades Europeas y de NORAD.
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.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
Marceniuk, A.P. and C.J. Ferraris Jr. (2003) Ariidae (Sea catfishes). p. 447-455. In R.E. Reis, S.O. Kullander and C.J. Ferraris, Jr. (eds.) Checklist of the freshwater fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, Brasil.
IGFA (2001) Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
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