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Giant sea catfish

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Giant sea catfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Ariidae
Genus: Arius
Species:
A. gigas
Binomial name
Arius gigas
Boulenger, 1911
Synonyms[2]
  • Tachysurus gigas (Boulenger, 1911)
  • Carlarius gigas (Boulenger, 1911)

The giant sea catfish (Arius gigas), also called the ewe or the marine catfish,[3] is a species of sea catfish in the family Ariidae.[4] It was described by George Albert Boulenger in 1911, originally under the genus Tachysurus.[5] It is known from brackish and freshwater in the Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Benin, Mali, Ghana and Nigeria. It reaches a maximum total length of 165 cm (65 in), and a maximum weight of 50 kg (110 lb). Males incubate eggs in their mouths.[4]

The giant sea catfish is of commercial significance as a food fish; however, its populations have declined due to over-fishing, and possibly chemical pollution.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Dankwa, H. (2020). "Arius gigas". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T182779A1729265. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T182779A1729265.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ Synonyms of Arius gigas at fishbase.org.
  3. ^ Common names of Arius gigas at fishbase.org.
  4. ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Arius gigas". FishBase. April 2016 version.
  5. ^ Boulenger, G. A., 1911 (24 Feb.) [ref. 579] Catalogue of the fresh-water fishes of Africa in the British Museum (Natural History). London. v. 2: i-xii + 1-529