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]
Giant sea catfish | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Siluriformes |
Family: | Ariidae |
Genus: | Arius |
Species: | A. gigas
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Binomial name | |
Arius gigas Boulenger, 1911
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Synonyms[2] | |
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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- ^ 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.
- ^ Synonyms of Arius gigas at fishbase.org.
- ^ Common names of Arius gigas at fishbase.org.
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Arius gigas". FishBase. April 2016 version.
- ^ 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